A New World Full of Strangers
by Helena Mira
Summary: Revised summary: 7 years after Breaking Dawn, the Cullens have moved with Jacob to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. It's Bella and Renesmee's first experience playing the human game. Follow their steps and missteps. Early chapters focus on the adaptation of Jacob's expectations, be patient. Renesmee is still younger than everyone thought that she would be, but that makes for more fun!
1. My New World

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Author's Note: This story is a continuation of the story "A World Full of Strangers: Prelude." Reading that story is critical to understanding the full premise of this one. For those of you who have read the Prelude, this may seem repetitive (I've tried to make it interesting), but I wanted new readers to get a flavor of what is to come.**

**Chapter 1: Prologue: My Old World**

"Renesmee, honey?"

"Yes, Daddy?" I reply.

"We are going to be stopping for gas soon," he says cheerfully. "You should think about what you want to get to eat."

"Okay," I say. "But I'm really not hungry."

He frowns at me into the rearview mirror. I sigh. I know that my lack of appetite is beginning to worry him, Momma, and Esme, but it's not like I can force myself to eat. They offered to stop and go hunting, but I didn't feel like that either. But how much of an appetite can I really have after just sitting around all day? And worst of all, there is nothing for me to do except think.

As we drive northwest across the Canadian prairie towards our new home of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, I begin to find the scenery monotonous. The land is very flat, and the speed of the car turns everything into a green and blur. Except when we pass by a field of sunflowers. Then it turns yellow for a bit.

At first I was interested when we passed a large onion-domed building. Daddy explained that it was a Russian Orthodox Church and that a number of them settled here because it reminded them of the Siberian steppes. For a while it felt like they were everywhere. But after a while they became boring too.

Daddy is doing the driving now, with Esme in the other front seat. They keep switching back and forth. I don't know why, because it's not like they get tired or need to rest. But maybe they get bored too. I am starting to wish that we had flown like the others, or just driven up through British Columbia. I am starting to learn the geography of my new country, but it is easy compared to the United States.

When they decided to leave Forks and move to Whitehorse, the family talked about how we would go. It was decided that Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Auntie Rose would fly up right away so get things ready for when our stuff arrived. They would buy a house, enroll in school, and Carlisle would establish himself at the hospital.

The rest of us, Momma, Daddy, Esme, and I would drive east across the US through Washington, Idaho, and Montana to North Dakota. Then Esme and I would drop off Momma and Daddy in Grand Forks so that they could run across the border through the wilderness and meet us in Winnipeg, Manitoba. When we crossed, Esme would be pretend to be my mother. She's going to be my mother, at least to the humans, when we are out in public in Whitehorse.

So now we have been driving back northwest across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia towards the Al-Can. That's the road that will take us directly to Whitehorse. We are going in such a roundabout way for two reasons. The first reason is that they want me to get used to the idea of living in a new place.

In fact, sometimes Daddy and Esme have been telling me about Canada because they lived there before. The second is that they didn't want Jacob following us. Carlisle is afraid that he will make another scene and say some more things that he might regret.

I am sitting curled up against Momma in the back seat. I am glad that she isn't doing any of the driving. I feel better when I am close to her because I think that she understands my Jacob better than anyone. He was her best friend when she was human and Daddy went away. She doesn't talk a lot either. She seems to be thinking about a lot of things as well. It's going to be the first time that she is going to play the human charade with the rest of the family. I think that she's worried about it.

Every once in a while, Carlisle calls to talk to Esme. They miss each other very much. That is the hardest part of the move for them. Daddy and Momma got to stay together. Auntie Rose and Uncle Emmett got to stay together. Auntie Alice and Jasper got to stay together. But Carlisle and Esme split up for practical reasons. He had to go ahead to Whitehorse to establish things, while Esme had to be my mother to get me across the border into the country.

Looking at us from the outside, no one would believe that Daddy and Momma are my parents. When they were turned into vampires, they were only teenagers. Daddy was seventeen and Momma was eighteen. Well, Momma was only three days short of nineteen, but don't remind _her_ of that or she will get mad at you. She doesn't like being older than Daddy. And throughout the rest of their existence, they will never age.

But I was born before my Momma became a vampire. Momma and Daddy got married and it was less than a month before I came along. It was a very big shock to everyone because no one ever thought that humans and vampires could make babies together. But Momma and Daddy did. And even though I killed my Momma's human life, Daddy was still able to save her, to turn her into a vampire like him.

When I first heard about that and understood what it meant, I was sad. I didn't mean to kill her. But she explained that she had wanted to be a vampire anyway. She said that even if I weren't born that Daddy would have changed her. They had made a deal. She would marry him while she was still human and then he would change her into a vampire. She told me that no one had expected that they would get a beautiful baby girl as a result. She said that she would do it exactly the same way again, just to make sure that she would have me.

And I made everyone happy when I came along. Auntie Rose and Esme had always been sad that they never had their own babies. And when Momma got back from Isle Esme and was pregnant with me, they helped Momma. Daddy was really scared that I could kill my Momma. They had met someone in Brazil who told them that there were legends about women who got pregnant with vampire babies and died. She said that the babies killed them. And Daddy didn't want Momma to die.

He and Carlisle wanted to take me out of Momma because they didn't know that I was just a little baby. They thought that I might be a monster, a killer. But then, while I was still inside of Momma, Daddy began to hear my thoughts. That was when he realized that I wasn't a monster, because I loved my Momma so much. And then he decided that no matter what, he was going to save both my Momma and me.

I don't know all the details, because they say that it is still too hard for me to understand, but Momma got hurt one time while Carlisle was away. So Daddy got me out and Auntie Rose took me to take care of me until Momma was better. And then my Jacob kept Momma's heart beating until Daddy could get enough venom in to save her. And he did. When she woke up, she was a beautiful vampire like the rest of them.

But I am not a vampire. I am only a half-vampire. At first they were scared because I grew so fast. But then they met another half-vampire from South America. He told us that he grew very, very fast until he was seven. And then he was done. I am almost seven now. I still look younger than Momma and Daddy, but not by much. But the really good news was that half-vampires seem to be immortal like full vampires. Nahuel, the man, was already one hundred and fifty years old. But he still looked like a teenager. So did his three sisters.

When we get to Whitehorse, we are going to start over again. Carlisle is going to start practicing medicine at the hospital. Esme is going to spend time renovating and decorating our new house and property. The rest of us are all going to school. That's because the other four look like they are only teenagers too. They were all changed when they when eighteen, nineteen, or twenty.

None of us really look alike except for Daddy and me. So the story is that all of us were adopted by Carlisle and Esme. Daddy is my real "brother" and Auntie Rose and Jasper are twins (because they both have blonde hair). Daddy, Momma, and Alice are going to be freshmen in high school; the others are going to be sophomores. I am going to an elementary school where I will be in the seventh grade.

Because the others (except Momma) have been through high school a lot, they decided that we would all go through the French immersion school program where all of our classes would be in French. You see Canada has two official languages, English and French. So all Canadian school children learn French.

And if French is their native language, they go to French schools and take English. But in areas of the country (most of it) where French is not the native language, students can go to school in French instead of just taking separate French classes.

Daddy told me that school could be very boring if you know everything in the books. And since I know everything in the books, when I study the same things again, only in French this time, it will make them more interesting. But he should know all about that. Carlisle says that if we start out at these ages, we will be able to stay here for about five years. Then we will move again and start over somewhere else.

That is how we have to live because we never age. We are very unusual in the vampire world because we are a family and stick together. Such vampires never have a home, even for five years. Most other vampires are nomads and either travel as individuals or in covens of two or three. But our coven, or family as we prefer to say, has nine.

Our cousins in Denali have six members in their coven, since Tanya finally found a mate after all these years when she met a vampire named Julius. That is the only other family in the vampire world except the Volturi. And they are like us, they only drink the blood of animals, not humans, the Denalis that is, not the Volturi.

The Volturi are really scary. They are in charge of keeping the rules of the vampire world. After I was born they thought that we broke the rules because of me and they came to punish us. But it was all a big misunderstanding. Alice and Jasper found Nahuel in South America and he proved to them that I wasn't dangerous. So they left us in peace.

That's the reason why so many of us can live together and go out among humans. We are not going to kill so many people in one area that those around us would get suspicious. But the Denalis are different from us because they live in the wilderness and never see humans. We don't live in isolation like that because Carlisle is a doctor and practices medicine. And he can only do that on humans. But since he never ages either, he can't stay in one place for too long.

And that was the problem with Forks. We stayed there for too long. So many people were asking questions about Carlisle's age that he couldn't work anymore, except at the Quileute reservation because the tribe knew our secret. It made him sad. And Momma and Daddy were happy to live away from the humans (except for Grandpa Charlie) because they had me to bring up, and each other to love. And Esme was unhappy because the other four were living like nomads.

You see, Alice and Jasper and Auntie Rose and Emmett were tired of hanging around in Forks. So they traveled to all kinds of wonderful places. But they wanted to come home too. You see, it doesn't matter where the Cullens live. They are at home as long as they are together.

So a few days ago, they took a vote and decided that it was time to move. Now we will all be together again, because that is what everyone wants. Daddy assured me that the same thoughts were in everyone's minds. There was no dissent.

The most difficult thing about my Daddy is his mind-reading gift. It wouldn't be so bad if he could control it, but he can't. And sitting here in the car with only one other person that he can hear (Esme), I know that he is listening to my thoughts. Even now, I know that he is listening to everything that I am thinking. I sigh again. There is nothing new for him to know. Momma is lucky because he can't hear her at all unless she wants him to.

It is difficult to believe how quickly the family was able to decide to leave Forks and then just leave for Canada. But Carlisle wanted to move before the school year started because it would make us stand out less. If we entered school late, then everyone would notice us even more.

Emmett said that it wasn't like we weren't going to stand out anyway. But Carlisle says that in places like Whitehorse there is a lot of movement in and out. A lot of people with kids time their moves around the school year if they can. We will only be a few of a lot of other newcomers.

I barely had time to realize that we were going away when suddenly we were telling my Jacob that we were going and he was arguing with them. But now that I have had time to think about it, I am not really sure of why he didn't want us to leave. All he has to do is come with us. But I think that is because he doesn't think of home the same way we do. We think of home as people, he thinks of it a land.

You see; my Jacob is a werewolf, or shapeshifter. It is his job to protect the tribe from enemies. Since the tribe is so small, they needed magic to help them stay safe. So long ago, some of the Quileutes learned how to change into huge wolves. Jacob's great-grandfather, the last chief of the tribe, was a werewolf too. And he made the original treaty with Carlisle that the Cullens would stay off their land.

The only enemies that the Quileutes have anymore are vampires. Except for the US government, according to Jasper. But he says that they need lawyers, not wolves, to protect them from that. Then Emmett said that lawyers were really just wolves in three-piece suits. Everyone laughed at that but me.

So when the Cullens moved back to Forks after being away for so many years, the descendants of the last three wolves started to turn into wolves again. And one of them was my Jacob. And he really is my Jacob. He told me that he belongs to me now and it's his job to make me happy.

Right after I was born and he had helped Daddy save Momma and me, he went downstairs where Auntie Rose was taking care of me, he said that it was like he couldn't help himself, he just _had _to go in that direction. And then, the minute he looked into my eyes, he knew that I was the one. He imprinted on me and he would be my protector for life.

He said that no one would ever be able to keep me safer or love me more than him. He said that he would always be there for me. He would be whatever I needed him to be. But now I am still trying to figure how that works. It's kind of like a puzzle that I can't put together because I am missing some of the pieces. Sometimes I think that Momma and Daddy know, but they aren't telling me.

With nothing else to do, I have been running through Jacob's last words in my head over and over. I guess that the most peculiar thing was that he never said anything about why he couldn't come with us. He just said that I couldn't go with my family. But my family said a lot of things about why I should stay with them. And they said a lot of things about why we couldn't stay in Forks anymore. But Jacob never told me why he just couldn't come.

The first thing that he said when they told him that we were leaving was that I stay to stay with him because he had imprinted on me. He called me Nessie, that awful monster nickname that he called me when I was little. Then he called my Daddy a bloodsucker. That made me really upset. One is the worst insults that you can call a vampire is "bloodsucker." But I didn't know why Jacob was being mean to him all of the sudden.

And then he scared me because he said that if I was too young to live with him (even though I would be full grown on my birthday) then I could live with Sam and Emily until I was old enough, like Claire does. But I don't want to live with Sam and Emily. Emily has two little babies to take care of, and Claire too. But Claire is her niece and her Mommy and Daddy live close by on the Makah reservation. My family would be very far away.

It is not that I don't like Emily. She's very nice. In fact she was the one who explained imprinting to me. But she wouldn't spend time with me like my own Momma and Daddy. And she couldn't teach me like they do. In fact, I know more things in the books than she does. In fact, once she told me that I know more than the teachers in the Quileute School.

But everyone got so mad at each other or scared like me that I didn't want to be there anymore. The last time that I saw my Jacob, he was staring at me because he couldn't believe that I was asking him to please talk to Daddy, Carlisle, and Jasper outside. But I didn't want to hear him call anyone else that I loved a bad name. And I knew that he was hurt, and I didn't want to see that either. That was when I got really confused because I could see that there was no way that I could make everyone happy, including me.

But that was the last time I ever saw him. We went home, packed up, and the next morning went to see Grandpa and Sue to say goodbye. And then we left. I asked Daddy if Jacob was coming with us and he said no. Then I asked if Jacob _could_ come with us if he wanted and he said yes. But he said that Jacob would have to want to. And I know that he means it.

When Carlisle found a house that he liked, it had a little cabin close to it on the property. That is the house that everyone liked best, so that is the house he buying. I asked Esme and she said that she would fix it up for Jacob if he decided to come. So he even has his own place to live. It would be closer to me than he was on the reservation back in La Push. Every time Carlisle calls, I ask if Jacob has come yet, and he says that he hasn't.

If it wasn't for the fact that I don't know what Jacob is thinking or whether he will come to stay with me, I could really be happy that we are moving. I have always wanted to go to school and meet other children my age. And I have missed having my whole family around me. In Whitehorse, I get to go to school _and _be with my whole family. But if Jacob doesn't come, then I am not sure that I can be happy.

I look up and can see that Daddy is looking back at me through the mirror again. He looks concerned. Sometimes I think that Daddy is sorry that he can hear every thought that every person around him is having. Sometimes it means that he has to hear things that he doesn't want to hear.

**Author's note: The narration of this chapter may seem a little disorganized, but that is because I am trying to catch the flavor of the way that an adolescent girl like Renesmee might think while ruminating over in her life, sitting in a car, with nothing else to do. So don't be surprised if her thoughts meander along jumping from topic to topic as they come to mind. It is intentional.**

**And for those of you who may be concerned about Jacob, I will be switching to his POV after a few chapters. You will see things from the perspective of others as well. I hope that you enjoy! HM**


	2. Northwest Passage

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 2: Northwest Passage**

After we were driving for three days, we finally reach the point in British Columbia where the Alaska-Canada highway begins. Daddy explains that the road was originally built during the Second World War so that the Americans could supply the military posts in Alaska by truck. The original highway was gravel and very bumpy and curving. But in the last couple of decades, the road has been much improved.

Now that we are in northern British Columbia, the terrain looks more familiar. We are in the Canadian Rockies, so there are mountains and lots of trees. The forests are different because they aren't wet and rainy, like the ones around Forks, but they are very beautiful. From the road, sometimes we can see wildlife. At one point, Daddy stops to look at the view. Then he smells a herd of caribou.

Since it has been a long time since he, Momma and Esme had hunted they decide that they want to get a meal. I'm not as hungry as they are because I can eat human food, but I am glad to get out of the car and run. I can't run as fast as the others, but they don't let me fall behind. Daddy is pleased because it is near the end of summer and the animals are starting to get fat for winter.

In no time at all, we cut into the herd and each take down a couple. The blood of caribou tastes similar to deer and elk. After we are satisfied, we return to the car to drive again. As we walk, Daddy promises that when we get to Whitehorse, we are going to be able to hunt moose and bear too. He says that moose are pretty easy to hunt because they are so big and dumb and slow.

When we get back to the car, Daddy tells us that we should reach Whitehorse this night. Esme immediately picks up the phone to call Carlisle to tell him. As she is chatting with him, I can't help it, I have ask her.

"Ask him if Jacob is there yet," I whisper.

"Carlisle," she says. "Has Jacob arrived in town?"

The answer is very brief and my heart sinks.

"No, dear," she says.

"Has he called?" I ask.

Esme and Daddy look at each other, but she asks anyway.

"No, honey," she says. "They haven't heard a word."

After she ends the call, she looks back at me sympathetically.

"You know, Renesmee," she says kindly. "Jacob has this number too, if he wants to call."

"Sometimes Jacob has issues with making phone calls when he is mad about something," says Momma. "I remember when we got back from Italy, he was so mad at me because I went that he wouldn't call me for weeks. And I tried calling and calling."

"Then he showed up at school one day," says Daddy. "He stood there in his black tee shirt next to his motorcycle. I think that the principal thought that he was some kind of hood or something."

"He threatened to call the cops," adds Momma. "As if Charlie would ever arrest him! Jacob was mad because he couldn't see me, but he had forgotten that I was grounded."

"I guess I'll never learn how to ride a motorcycle now," I say. "Oops! I was supposed to tell you that."

"You wouldn't have been riding a motorcycle anyway," says Daddy. "You were thinking about it the other day, so I knew all about it. Just ask Momma how many times she fell off it when she was learning how to ride. How many trips did you make to the emergency room?"

"Too many," she says. "But I was probably also one of the clumsiest humans that ever lived."

I look at Momma now and can't imagine that she was ever clumsy. She is just so graceful any time she moves. Everyone says that I'm graceful too, but I know that I will never be as graceful or fast or beautiful as a vampire. But my family is very happy that I am not a full vampire. They want me to be able to live in the human world more easily.

"Do we get to go to the house?" I ask Daddy. "When we get to Whitehorse, I mean."

"No," he says. "The moving van with our belongings isn't due to arrive for another day, and there is still paperwork to be signed. But tomorrow we can drive out to see the house and the property. We will be staying in the condos for a few days while we wait."

"How big is Whitehorse?" asks Momma.

"It's a little larger than Port Angeles," he says. "But since it's so far out in the wilderness, it doesn't seem as big or modern. But I think that we will all like it there. We've lived in Canada before."

"The last time we lived in Calgary," says Esme. "That was a beautiful city. But we had to leave after two years because Maria came to visit Jasper. She caused us some problems."

"Is that why Daddy drove her into the middle of Montana when she came to visit us last year?" I ask.

"Yes," says Momma. "She really came to see Jasper and he wasn't there. We wanted to make sure that she was far away before she got thirsty."

"Do you think that we will see any vampires in Whitehorse?" I ask.

"I think that is very unlikely," says Daddy. "As far as I know, the closest coven will be our cousins in Alaska. And nomads wouldn't want to range so far north. They prefer to stay in more densely populated areas."

"Do you think that the Volturi will visit?" I ask.

"I don't think so," replies Esme. "Carlisle sent them a note with our new location. He would prefer that Aro not send anyone out looking for us. He thinks that when he looks on the map and sees that we are living in the middle of nowhere, it will make him happy."

"And I am sure that he will leave us alone when he hears that Carlisle is back to practicing medicine and we are all in school again," says Daddy. "The thought of all of us as high school students again will probably amuse him."

"Aren't most of the Volturi guard in South Africa now dealing with a situation?" asks Momma.

"Yes, I believe that is where Caius and the other enforcers in the guard are," answers Daddy. "They have better things to do than come all the way up to the Yukon and check in on us."

"Why would anyone want to live up here anyway?" I ask. "Except for people like us who like the long nights."

"Well, the first people who came here traveled from Asia," answers Daddy. "Those are the First Nations People. You will be hearing more about them when we get there. But the first white people came looking for gold and built up settlements. Now they stay because of the mineral and timber wealth. It's an interesting place. You will enjoy learning the history."

I settle back against Momma again and feel myself smiling. But in the back of my mind, I can't help thinking about my Jacob. His people are like the First Nations probably. They are all native Americans. I wonder about how the First Nations people in Canada feel about sharing their land with the white men.

"I think that they get along better with the Canadians than they do with the Americans," he says, answering my unspoken thought. "They even have their own province east of here called Nunavut. But I know that there are still land disputes. Hey Bella, that's something new for you to learn about in school, Canadian history."

"I never thought of Canada having a history," she says.

"Don't say that in front of any Canadians," he warns her. "The Canadian history is very rich and varied, not to mention completely ignored by the American history curriculum. We studied it the last time we were here. Emmett made a couple of injudicious remarks and almost got into a fight."

The conversation ends there. Because we are so far north, it stays light for a very long. But the sun is low in the sky, so it is not really bright. There still isn't much to see. Daddy is driving so fast that everything is a big blur. At one point, Esme says that it always seems that the closer you get to your destination, the faster you drive. But it is getting late and I doze off.

When I wake up, the car is stopped and my family is surrounding me. Everyone is laughing and hugging at the same time, even though we have only been separated for four days. I can see Carlisle and Esme standing across from each other, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. Auntie Rose reaches in and picks me up into a huge hug.

"How's my girl?" she asks happily. "Tired of riding in the car?"

"Very tired," I say, yawning. "You are so lucky you got to fly."

"Who cares how we got here?" asks Aunt Alice. "We're all together again and that's what counts. Ready for some Algebra again, Edward?"

Daddy makes a face.

"Please tell me that you signed me up for Chemistry," he says.

"Yep," she says. "Just think though. We get to have Chemistry and Algebra in French."

"Maybe I will even understand it the second time around," says Momma. "I don't think that it will matter what language it's taught in. Math has always been a foreign language to me."

"Don't worry," Daddy assures her. "I'll help you. Or Renesmee can. She's all the way up to Calculus these days."

Momma sticks out her tongue at him and then asks, "So these are the condos?"

"Home for the next two weeks," says Carlisle. "We are going to have to put our things in storage until the closing is complete."

"And then get it out I the middle of the night if we want to do it with any speed," says Emmett. "I'm glad that the house is isolated. At least we can move in at our own pace."

"And we will be settled by the start of school, right Carlisle?" Esme asks.

"Probably," he says. "But it won't be a big deal if we aren't."

"If Jacob comes before we move in, where will he stay?" I ask.

Everyone is quiet and looking around uncomfortably at each other. Then Carlisle speaks.

"Renesmee," he says gently. "So far we have had no indication that Jacob is coming. But I assure you that if he arrives we will find him a comfortable place to stay."

"There's a . . . " starts Auntie Rose.

"Put a lid on it, Rosalie," says Daddy, knowing what she is going to say.

Before she can answer, Esme comments, "Renesmee kept asking us the whole way up about Jacob. But he hasn't been in touch at all."

"We haven't heard from him either," adds Carlisle.

"I can never see him anyway," says Alice. "So don't ask me."

Then there is a very uncomfortable silence.

"None of you think that he's coming, do you?" I ask sadly.

"We've been wrong about Jacob before," says Daddy.

But even though he is saying the words, I know that he doesn't believe them. None of them want to say out loud that they think Jacob is going to break his promise to be with me forever. I just don't understand it. Who cares where we live as long as we are together?


	3. Girl Talk

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 3: Girl Talk**

When I wake up, I find that I am in a strange bed in a strange place. It is nice to be sleeping in a bed again after almost four days of sleeping in the car. It didn't bother Momma, Daddy, and Esme of course. Vampires don't sleep and don't care if they are still for hours and hours at a time. But I am half-human. I need sleep and I get stiff if I sit around too much.

Soon after we arrived last night, I went to bed in the little room that they decided was mine until we moved to the new house. I was very tired from the long car trip and sad because I did not know where my Jacob was. I had never been away from him for so long in my life. At least I was so tired that I fell asleep right away. I didn't have time to think about how much I missed him.

But now I am thinking about him. I wonder where he is and what he is doing. I wonder if he is thinking about me too. It's hard to believe that he let me go so far away from him. Why didn't he just follow us? I was so disappointed when I got here and he wasn't there. All my hopes fell apart.

You see, I had decided that maybe he wanted to surprise me. I thought that maybe he _was _already here, but he told Carlisle and the rest of them to keep it a secret. Then, when I got out of the car, he would be standing there with the rest of them, too big to miss. My Jacob is bigger than all of them, even Emmett. That's because he can phase into a wolf. In fact, he's the biggest of all the Quileute wolves. He's even bigger than Sam.

I think back to all the promises that he made never to leave me. He said that no matter what, he would make sure that I was happy and safe. Of course I'm _safe _here with my family, but it is hard to be happy. The only way for me to be happy is for him to live in Whitehorse with the rest of us. But all of my family will be upset if they see that I am sad because I miss him. So I concentrate on all the happy things that are happening.

For the first time in several years, all the Cullens are living together. Even Auntie Rose and Jasper are Cullens, although they use the name Hale in school. And Momma is a Cullen too. Even though she is going to use her maiden name of Swan for school. And we are all happy because Carlisle gets to be a doctor again and help humans. And we all aren't trapped at the house anymore.

And I get to go to school with kids who are sort of my own age. Technically, I'm seven, but I am going to pretend that I am twelve. And it's going to be even more fun next year when I'm in the eighth grade because I will be at the same school as everyone else. And Esme is so happy because she gets to play my mother. It's all part of the big pretend game that we play around the humans.

It's Momma's first time playing too. Daddy is looking forward to helping her at school and of course Aunt Alice is planning to be her best friend. Daddy is going to pretend to be my real life big brother, so I get to call him Edward. By the time I finish thinking about all of this, I am feeling happier.

When I am ready, I go out into the main living area. There I discover my Momma, Daddy, aunts, and uncles sitting around and laughing. Carlisle and Esme aren't there, but I'm sure that's because they missed each other so much that they wanted some "alone time."

For as long as I can remember, "alone time" is when mates go off together so have some private time with each other. That means that no one is allowed to bother them. Alone time can last hours and hours and they are always very happy when they rejoin the group. I am still not one hundred percent sure of what they do during alone time, but they usually spend it in their bedrooms.

Since vampires don't sleep, I have always wondered why they have beds in their bedrooms. Momma said that she would explain it to me when I was old enough to understand. I think that I should remind her because I'm almost grown up. As soon as I walk into the room, Auntie Rose gets up and offers to make me breakfast.

Momma asks if she wants some help, but Auntie Rose said that she missed me and wants to spend some time with me. Since I spent four days sitting with Momma in the backseat, I don't feel bad that she would rather sit with Daddy now. I have a feeling that they are going to be disappearing for some alone time soon too.

Auntie Rose and I go into the kitchen where she has the human food that she bought in the store for me. Even though I eat some human food as well as drinking blood, we figured out pretty early on that I couldn't eat human food that was processed. It made me feel sick and my stomach wouldn't keep it down. So the food that I eat is always natural: fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and some dairy like milk and eggs.

In the beginning, it was hard for Grandpa Charlie to understand that I couldn't eat junk food. He accused Momma of going on a health food kick because I wasn't eating any candy or chips or drinking soda like other kids. And then he said that I was too skinny. Luckily, Sue understood enough to explain that some people just couldn't digest processed foods. She asked if he had a problem with healthy eating and maybe he should try it himself.

Everyone knows that if Grandpa Charlie could, he would live on beer, steak, and pizza (at least that's what Momma says). He does like to go fishing, but he pretty much only likes his fish fried. Thinking of Grandpa Charlie makes me feel homesick for Forks. The condo is nice, but it's nothing like the cottage. Auntie Rose notices that I am looking sad.

"What is it, Renesmee?" she asks sympathetically. "Are you still feeling tired?"

"Yeah," I say. "I am kind of tired. But I really miss Forks. I miss our little cottage and Grandpa Charlie. I mean, I'm glad that we are all together again, but it doesn't feel like home."

Auntie Rose nods.

"You will feel better once we move to the new house and you have all of your own things around you again," she says comfortingly. "We will go out to see the new house today, but it is still empty. And Esme and Edward are going to take you to see your new school and register you for your classes. And then we are all looking forward to showing you and your Momma and Daddy around the new town."

"It feels a little scary," I confide in her. "At home, I hardly ever saw anyone except for family. But now I have to meet all kinds of new people. Suppose the kids think I'm weird because I'm different?"

Auntie Rose was quiet for a minute.

"Esme plans to tell your new school that you have never been to school before because you have been home-schooled," she explains. "And we are also saying that we lived out in the wilderness, so you are very sheltered. Carlisle has already spoken with the head guidance counselor about you and they are working on a plan to help you transition."

"But what if they think I'm weird because I never went to school before?" I ask.

"You aren't the first student to go to school here that was home-schooled," she says with a little smile. "There are always kids moving in from the remote villages. In another place, you might seem out of place, but I think that you will find it easier to get along here than you realize."

"You know," I say wistfully. "All my life, I've always wanted to have friends like other kids. When I would visit the reservation, there were other kids to play with, but I grew up so much faster than them. And I knew so much more. We never had anything to talk about.

"But my Jacob said that I never had to worry about that because he was my best friend and if I had him then I wouldn't need anyone else. But you know, Quil imprinted on Claire and he is _her _best friend, but she has other little girls for friends too."

"Well, that goes to show that just because Jacob imprinted, it doesn't mean that you can't have other friends," she says slowly.

She is looking at me closely. I know that Momma and Daddy told her that she wasn't allowed to say anything else about Jacob that wasn't nice. But I think that she is just trying to tell me the truth now. As she thinks, she gets out some fruit, yogurt, and granola. It's my favorite breakfast.

"Renesmee, I want to tell you something about myself," she finally says. "We have been traveling around to live in different places and go to different schools for our whole vampire lives. That's the way that Carlisle can practice his medicine and we can stay together. But every time that we go to a new place I always feel nervous about starting a new school. And I worry about the same things that you do."

"Really?" I say feeling surprised. "I always thought that you always did what you wanted and weren't afraid of anything."

"Well," she says. "I will admit that in school the Cullens always stick together and don't really mingle with the humans. But nobody likes it when other people talk about her behind her back because she are different. However you are luckier than us because you look more human than we do and are much closer in age. I think that you are going to fit in more easily than you realize."

"Auntie Rose," I ask. "What was it like for you when you were human and had to go to school for the first time?"

She looks like she is thinking hard. While she considers her answer, I dig into my food.

"Things were very different when I was going to school back in the 1920s," she says. "For one thing, there wasn't much emphasis on math and science, especially for girls. And the first time that I went through school, I wasn't a very good student.

"But I really didn't have to be. All my parents ever expected that I would do is get married and have babies. So I was too busy looking at the boys and worrying about which boys were looking at me."

"Emmett says that the boys still like to look at you," I giggle.

"Well, with Emmett around," she answers with a smug smile. "They can look all they want, but they better not touch."

"Did he ever beat anyone up?" I ask curiously.

"He has never had to," she laughs. "All it takes is one look from him and any boy looking runs in the opposite direction."

"I can see that happening," I comment. "I think that one look from my Jacob would make any other boy looking at me go away. He's even scarier than Emmett."

Auntie Rosalie ignores the remark about Jacob. But she also looks away so that I can't see her face.

"Well," I say. "I am afraid that because I know so many things that I may answer too many questions right or slip up and know something before the teacher teaches it. Then the other kids will think that I am a smarty pants or something."

"That's really not so hard as you might think," she says. "Since you haven't been around children that much, you can pretend to be shy. I have a feeling that you may be shy anyway. Then, you only have to answer questions when people ask you and listen a lot. Humans really like it when people listen to them."

"But what if they talk about human things and I don't know what they are talking about," I say.

"Well," she answers thoughtfully. "That will probably happen with things like television shows, movies, and music. But the best thing to do then is ask questions. Humans also like to feel smart. You should talk to your Momma about that. She was always very shy but when she went to Forks High School she had a lot of friends."

"Who had a lot of friends?" asks Momma coming in.

"You did, remember?" says Auntie Rose. "You were friends with Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, Ben Cheney and that whole crowd. And don't for get about Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton."

"And as long as we are remembering annoying boys, don't forget about Eric Yorkie," she grimaces. "All three of them asked me to that stupid girls' choice dance. And then Tyler thought he tricked me into going to Prom with him."

"But Daddy took you to Prom," I say. "And Tyler didn't go. But if it was a girls' choice dance then why did _they_ ask you?"

"They were all trying to get me to go out with them," she says. "But Jessica was mad because she wanted to go out with Mike. And that nasty girl Lauren was mad because she wanted Tyler. Looking back at it now, it was all very silly. But at that time it felt awful."

"And all the girls were jealous because you were the only girl that Edward ever even looked at," says Auntie Rose, grinning. "You two used to sit at lunch together and make goo-goo eyes at each other."

"No we didn't!" objects Momma. "Half the time we were arguing with each other."

"And the other half you were making goo-goo eyes," she giggles.

"Rose . . . "

"What are goo-goo eyes?" I ask.

"That's when boys and girls look at each other like there's no one else in the world," answers Auntie Rose.

"Oh, you mean the way that you guys look at each other before you go away and have your alone time," I say.

Momma and Auntie Rose look at each other.

"Something tells me that our little girl is growing up," says Auntie Rose.

"Lovely," mutters Momma.

"Do you think that the boys at my school are going to ask me out?" I wonder.

"I doubt it," laughs Momma. "At this age, most boys still think that girls are icky. But the girls are starting to think about the boys."

"Don't worry," says Auntie Rose. "If any boy bothers you, I am sure that one of your three big brothers will help you out."

Or my Jacob, I think to myself. But I know better than to say that out loud. Besides Jacob would look like a giant compared to twelve-year old boys, but so would Emmett. I guess that the difference is that Emmett will be a brother. I am not sure of what Jacob will be.

"Renesmee," says Esme walking in. "We will be going over to the school in a little bit. You and I have an appointment with your guidance counselor. Edward is coming too. Do you want to get ready? Alice says that she'll help you pick out something to wear."

"Oh, brother," says Momma. "I better go supervise. In a place like this, we really need to dress Renesmee in normal clothes."

"Alice is going to be disappointed," warns Esme.

"I don't care," replies Momma. "It's better if Renesmee doesn't stand out too much from the other kids. In middle school, wearing the right clothes makes a big difference. I know it's stupid, but that's the way that it was when I was in school. And I can pretty much guarantee that designer clothes will make her look like a rich snob or something."

"You have a point," says Auntie Rose. "I'll come with you as back up."

"I'm staying out of it," says Esme.

"Coward," says Momma. "You're supposed to be the Mom, remember?"

"Only in public," replies Esme sweetly. "At home you get to be the Mom."

I suddenly laugh and they all look at me.

"This is pretty neat," I say. "Everyone wants to be my Mom."

"Except Alice," says Auntie Rose. "She wants to be your fashion consultant."

"Well, we will never get to school if you don't quit all the girl talk and get our girl dressed," says Esme. "Are you finished with your breakfast?"

"Yes, ma'am," I say politely. "Thank you, Auntie Rose."

"Of course, sweetie," she says.

"That was fun," I say as I skip off with Momma and Auntie Rose. "Can we have more girl talk later?"

"Sure!" answers Momma. "And remember, no boys allowed!"

I giggle and then realize that for a little while I have forgotten almost all about Jacob. I feel bad having fun without him, but it's his own fault. He should be here.

**Author's Note: For those of you who are wondering what's happening with Jacob, I have decided to stick with Renesmee's story for the next few chapters. Right now I want to get the Cullens established in Whitehorse. Then I will shift to Jacob so that we can get his perspective on the situation.**


	4. The Human Game

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 4: The Human Game**

When we go into my bedroom, Aunt Alice has my trunk open and an outfit already picked out.

"Not on your life," says Momma.

The outfit is very pink. It is a pink dress with pink tights and a matching hat. There is even a matching shoes and purse set. It is very "Alice" as Momma would say. Of course Alice is completely frustrated with Momma and her lack of interest in fashion and coordinating outfits. When I was little, I didn't care so much, but no one ever saw me but family anyway. Now I just want to look normal.

"What do you think that she should wear?" asks Alice.

"How about jeans and a long-sleeved tee-shirt?" Momma asks. "Like normal kids. You can't tell me that the kids up here dress like fashion models everyday."

Auntie Rose laughs as Alice makes a face.

"Most of them wear jeans and tee-shirts or sweatshirts," says Auntie Rose. "Let's face it, Alice. This is a frontier town. And while most people are comfortably off, they don't seem to want to spend lots of their hard earned money following the latest trends."

"She doesn't have to look like everyone else," protests Alice.

"Yes, she does," replies Momma. "Remember, we want her to make friends. We want to give her a chance to blend in. This is important for her. At this age the kids are all about appearances and fitting in."

"Here you go!" says Auntie Rose, who has been rifling through the clothes. "A pink shirt with khakis and a pair of Converse. What do you say, Renesmee?"

"Cool!" I say quickly, just glad to have something inconspicuous to wear.

Alice makes a face.

"Rosalie," she complains. "You have excellent fashion sense. Why are you ruining her first impression?"

"I think it depends on your definition of ruining," she says. "I've been looking around at what the kids her age wear here, and this seems to be it. Suck it up! You're not the one who has to face a classroom full of kids for the first time."

"Okay," she says. "They're just going to see the guidance counselor anyway. It's not like it's the first day of school."

"Oh brother!" says Momma, after she leaves. "Is she always like this?"

"You better be ready to stand up for your right to dress yourself for school," Auntie Rose warns her. "The boys all did and now all she can do is grumble. Even Jasper refused to humor her on the whole clothing thing."

"I'll keep that in mind," says Momma.

When I am done getting dressed, I go outside where Esme is waiting with Daddy.

"Hey!" says Daddy. "Don't you look great? You look just like a regular schoolgirl."

"Humph!" says Alice from the chair where she is sulking.

"Come on," says Esme. "Carlisle is going to drive us to the school."

When we get out of the car, I look at the rather simple looking building. It looks like, well, a school. But I guess that there are only so many ways to design a school building. We enter in the glass doors and Carlisle shows us the way to the main office. Because she is playing my Mom, I am holding Esme's hand. I look up and smile at Daddy nervously.

"Mrs. Miller," says Carlisle as he enters the office. "This is my wife Esme and two of my children, Renesmee and Edward."

Mrs. Miller smiles warmly and says, "Edward, aren't you a little old to be in elementary school?"

"Just a little," he laughs. "But I'm Renesmee's older brother, you know, her biological older brother. I feel a little protective of her."

"Yes, I can understand that," she replies sympathetically. "Poor little Renesmee was only a little baby when you lost your parents, but you weren't much older. You are what, two years older than her?"

"Edward has always insisted on helping to care for her," says Esme jumping in to cover the slip up. "In fact, he's been helping me teach her for the past couple of years."

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm pleased to meet you," says Mrs. Miller now turning to Esme. "I must say that I admire you for taking in so many adopted and foster children. It takes a very special person to take seven children into her home."

"Carlisle is very helpful of course," she says smoothly. "Sadly we can't have children of our own, so these kids are our family. And they are all very special."

"I'm sure that they are," she says kindly. "How do you do, Renesmee?"

I suddenly find that I am a little scared of the hand she is offering me. I step behind Esme and reach for it tentatively. I'm not used to meeting humans.

"Hi," I whisper.

"Dr. Cullen," says Mrs. Miller looking at him. "You didn't exaggerate when you said that your daughter was shy. It's okay, honey. Do you feel scared about going to school for the first time?"

I nod.

"Well," says Carlisle. "I need to get to the hospital. I can walk there from here. You keep the car. I'll call when I need a ride back."

On his way out, he pats me on the head and winks. After he leaves, Mrs. Miller decides to get down to business.

"Why don't we go into my office and look over your schedule," she says.

I notice that Esme and Daddy move differently around the human. Well, basically they move and blink more. Mrs. Miller sits behind her desk and pulls out a sheath of papers.

"I've lined up your classes based on what I see as the best matches based on your transcripts," she says in a business-like manner. "You are in honors for all classes. You requested the French immersion program. You haven't studied French before, but your brother has been tutoring you."

"Mais oui, Madame. Je voudrais etudier en Francais, si'l vous plait."

"Tres bien, Mademoiselle," she answers. "You have a lovely accent for a beginner."

"Renesmee is very musical," says Daddy proudly. "She plays piano and sings beautifully. She has a very good ear."

"That's wonderful!" says Mrs. Miller. "I was wondering if you wanted to try any extracurricular activities. Would you like to sing in the glee club?"

I look up at Esme, who smiles and nods.

"Are you interested in any sports?" she asks.

"No, thank you, ma'am," I reply, thinking that with my enhanced athletic ability it would not be a good idea."

"Do you have anything along the lines of dance classes?" asks Esme.

"We don't offer dance, but there is a ballet studio in town where a former prima ballerina from Russia teaches," she replies. "She moved here about twenty years ago after the Soviet Union broke up. A number of our students take lessons with her. It would a nice way for you to meet some of the other girls outside of school."

I look at Esme.

"May I please, Mom?" I ask.

"Yes, of course," she answers, smiling when I call her Mom. "We will look into it on our way out of town."

"Renesmee," comments Mrs. Miller. "I must say that you have the loveliest manners."

I feel my skin turning a little pink. At home they tease me because I am the only one who can blush. Momma says that when she was human she used to blush all the time. But at least I have enough "vampire" in my skin that I don't turn bright red like she used to.

"Thank you, ma'am," I say.

"Renesmee is a most unusual name," she says. "I've never heard it before. Is it French?"

"Our mother was French," says Daddy quickly. "I think that she made it up because she liked the way it sounded."

"I like the way that it sounds also!" she says. "People name their children all kinds of interesting things these days. And our First Nation students often have rather fascinating names."

"So then what classes will my sister be taking?" asks Daddy.

"She will be taking Pre-Algebra for math and Earth Science," she says. "Her language arts program of course is French, but she will be reading some English literature in the English designed for the immersion students. And she will be taking Canadian history, which she has not studied before. There is also physical education, drama, and studio art."

"That's quite a broad selection," he comments, looking rather pleased.

"I like history," I say. "I like to learn about new things."

"Well, I hope that you will enjoy your classes here," she says kindly. "Would you like to go on a tour of the school?"

"Yes, please," I say.

When we stand up to leave, I automatically take my Daddy's hand. He smiles down at me and ruffles my hair. As we leave, Esme and Mrs. Miller follow us out.

"It is so sweet the way that he takes care of her," she comments to Esme. "It is obvious that they are very close and he feels responsible for her."

"He was a very small child when they lost their parents," replies Esme. "But he was determined that they would not be separated. The reason that we got them was that we were willing to take both. There were several couples who wanted a baby girl, but we were the only ones willing to take an older boy with her."

"I'm surprised that they allowed him to get his way on that," says Mrs. Miller.

"Well the philosophy of the agency that placed them was to keep siblings together if at all possible," she says. "We also have a pair of teenage twins who stayed together. I can't imagine how they would have felt if they were separated. But it has been known to happen."

The school is not very large. Mrs. Miller shows us the different classrooms and the science labs. They have a "cafetorium," which serves as both a lunchroom and auditorium. And they have a gymnasium. Right now there is no one around except the cleaning staff.

"There will be more teachers around next week," she explains. "At this time most of them don't want to think about starting school just yet. We would like it if you came in again to meet your teachers. There is also an orientation day for new students. There are five other new seventh graders entering the school this year. Each of you will have a buddy who will help you get to know the other kids and adjust to the routine."

"I'm glad to hear that," says Esme. "This is a whole new world for our little girl in more ways than one. We want her to be comfortable."

"Our goal is to help make this transition as easy as possible," Mrs. Miller assures her. "There is another boy in class who has never gone to school before, Renesmee won't be the only previously homeschooled child in the class."

"What would you say is the greatest difficulty that homeschooled children have when they are adjusting to regular school?" asks Esme.

"Well sometimes the academics is a problem, if they are behind in some areas," she replies. "I don't think that will be a problem here. In fact we considered placing her in the eighth grade. However now that I have met her, I can see why Dr. Cullen was so adamantly opposed.

"Renesmee only turns twelve in September. That is an early start for a child at the appropriate grade. She might be able to handle the academics of the eighth grade, but I can see where the social piece could be very difficult. And I wouldn't want to see her in the high school."

"Neither would I," says Daddy. "I'm afraid that my brothers and I would get in trouble if we had to deal with any young man giving her unwanted attention."

Mrs. Miller laughs.

"You won't have that problem here," she says. "We have dances for the sixth and seventh graders in the gym. The girls are on one side of the gym dancing and socializing, while the boys are playing basketball on the other. You don't really have to worry about them noticing each other until the next year. However, I predict that in a couple of years, Renesmee may not appreciate your gallantry so much."

We find ourselves back at the main office. Mrs. Miller gives Esme some books.

"This is a student handbook and a curriculum guide," she explains. "You should read through it and call me if you have any questions. Can I answer anything else for you now?"

"Do you allow the students to bring laptops to school?" asks Daddy.

"They can bring laptops or tablet computers," she says. "Most of the kids have tablets since the laptops can get pricey. We have pretty good Wi-Fi here in the building."

"That's good," says Esme. "Renesmee is very good at using the Internet for research."

"We may be out here in the middle of nowhere, but we are still living in the twenty-first century," she laughs. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"No, I think that we're good," says Esme. "Thank you for all of your help. You have been very welcoming."

"No problem," she says. "Goodbye, Renesmee. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Miller," I say. "Thank you for being so nice to me."

"You are very easy to be nice to," she answers with another smile. "Have a good day."

"So, Renesmee," asks Daddy when we get into the car. "What do you think?"

"I think that Mrs. Miller is very nice," I say. "I don't feel so scared anymore. Auntie Rose was right."

"What was she right about?" asks Esme.

"That humans like it when you listen to what they say," I answer. "And then you don't have to say so much. It was weird when she said that I was going to be twelve in September."

"I forgot to tell you about that," says Daddy. "We decided to keep your real birthday, but we obviously had to advance your age. It really gets weird when you are one hundred and fifteen like me, but you tell everyone that you are fourteen. And then you add a year each year until you go to a new place and then start at fourteen again."

"The next time that we move will I start at twelve again?" I ask.

"Probably not," he says. "I am sure that in a couple of years you will look high school age. That means that the next time that we start over in a new place, you will be a freshman like Momma, Alice, and me."

"That will be funny!" I laugh. "Maybe we could be twins like Jasper and Auntie Rose."

"Maybe, we look so similar that we could probably pull it off!" he laughs. "Now _that _would be weird!"

"Look!" says Esme. "There's the dance studio."

"It's closed," says Daddy. "But it looks like there are some brochures outside on the clipboard."

Esme stops and he quickly leaps out of the car to pick one up.

"You know," he grumbles. "It's going to be real annoying until we are 'old enough' to drive again, at least in town."

"You've been spoiled for the last eight years," replies Esme. "But this is all part of the game."

When we get back, Momma and Auntie Rose are waiting for me.

"How was it?" asks Momma. "Do you think that you will like it?"

"Mrs. Miller was very nice," I say. "I _think _that I am going to like it."

"The school is being very accommodating about taking care of her needs," adds Esme coming in behind me. "They are going to do everything that they can to help her adjust to the new routine and meeting new kids."

"It's kind of funny," I say. "She thinks that Daddy is only two years older than me."

"Yes, Edward," says Esme sternly. "You can't act that fatherly around her. You have to remember that your her brother. If you starting acting too overprotective, people will notice."

"I know," he sighs. " I think that it will be easier when I'm acting like a human too in my own school. It's been seven years since high school. I've forgotten what it's like. Esme's right the age thing is kind of weird."

"It will be even weirder when the three of us look the same age," says Momma. "But once we do, it will never change."

"Momma," I say timidly. "Has my Jacob called yet to say when he is coming?"

"I'm sorry, Renesmee," she says. "But he hasn't called. I talked to Grandpa today to let him know that we were here. He's going to call later so that he can talk to you."

"Did he say anything about Jacob?" I ask hopefully.

"No, he didn't mention him and I didn't ask," she answers.

"Can I ask?"

"If you like," she says.

But the way that Auntie Rose is looking at Daddy, I get the feeling that they wouldn't like it if I asked. But Grandpa might not know anything about Jacob anyway. I guess that he could always ask Billy. I just don't understand why he doesn't come or call me.

As I look around, I realize that everyone is starting to look concerned again. I guess that I'm a little worried too. I mean, I really did have a good morning seeing my new school and meeting Mrs. Miller. I think that I can be really happy here. I mean, I want to be really happy here. I wish that I wasn't so confused about Jacob.

He always told me that he would always make sure that I was happy. But he's not doing that now. But I'm not going to let him make me feel sad because he's ignoring me. I'm still allowed to be happy if he's not here, right?


	5. My New Town

**A New World Full **

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 5: My New Town**

After I have some lunch, Esme drives Auntie Rose, Momma, and I into Whitehorse to look around. Daddy is planning on going out hunting with Jasper and Emmett. Alice has stopped sulking and is now engaging in what she calls retail therapy, otherwise known as shopping online. She has already been to the stores in town and none of them feed her "passion for fashion."

We are all comfortably dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. It is still late August, but up here it is relatively cool. Momma loves the climate. It is not as hot as Phoenix where she grew up, but it is very dry. And the sky is nicely cloudy, so no one has to worry about sparkling in the sun.

Every time that we go into town, we have to drive on the Al-Can because it is pretty much the only way in and out of town. We stop off at the high school to look around, but like my school, it just looks like an ordinary school. The downtown area is more interesting.

There are a few tourist shops where you can get the same kinds of dream catchers, handmade jewelry, and other native crafts that you can find in Port Angeles. In one little shop, I see a couple of books about the First Nations people and the Klondikes that look interesting.

Esme buys them for me so that I can learn about my new home. Momma buys a book on the history of Whitehorse. It is full of interesting pictures. She promises me that I can read it when she is done.

We continue walking down the street and pass by a shop called "The Whitehorse Trading Post." In the window there are a number of heavy wool sweaters, coats, and ponchos. They have some lovely decorative Native American designs. One of the ponchos is grey with red, black, and white geometric patterns around the perimeter and a thick grey and white fringe.

"May we go in there, please?" I ask, looking at the poncho.

"Of course," says Esme. "Would you like to look around?"

I nod smiling, so the four of us walk in. The two women behind the counter are both Native Americans. In addition to the clothing, they also have some handmade leather belts, bags, and purses. They also have animals carved out of wood and some ceramic dish ware with more native designs. There are paintings, tapestries, and rugs. I've seen some of these kinds of things before on the Quileute reservation in Embry's mother's store, but never such a wide selection. It's almost like looking at things in a museum.

"These are wonderful!" says Esme quietly. "I can already see how I am going to be able to incorporate some of them into our new home. I always like supporting the local artisans and craftsmen."

"Can I answer any questions for you?" asks the younger woman standing behind the counter.

"Are these made locally?" asks Auntie Rose.

"They are actually crafted in some of the small villages north of here," explains the older of the two women. "The villagers there raise sheep and make the wool themselves. And they hunt caribou for food and then use the hides for tanning to make the leather. Almost every part of the product is homegrown."

"Except for the beads," comments Esme.

"Some of the beads," corrects the older woman. "If you look closely, you will see that many of them are hand-carved from wood."

"All of this must take a lot of work," says Momma. "Not to mention a lot of time."

"In the winter when there are only two or three hours of light, there is not much else for them to do," she explains. "But for many of the old people, this is how they earn their living, in addition to hunting. They live a very traditional lifestyle and don't need much. These crafts supplement their small welfare checks that they get from the government."

"Are they First Nation people?" I ask.

"Yes, they are," says the younger woman smiling. "You must be new in town. We haven't seen you before."

"Yes, we just moved here from a small town outside of Denali," replies Esme. "I am Esme Cullen and this is my adopted daughter, Renesmee. And these two girls are two of my foster children, Bella Swan and Rosalie Hale."

"I am Lily," says the older woman. "And this is my daughter, Tabitha. We have lived here all our lives. My parents built this trading post back in the twenties. We are carrying on the tradition today."

"It's interesting," says Momma. "You have some very original things here."

"Thank you, we try to offer different things from the usual tourist trinkets. Our goods are more expensive, but none of them come from the Far East or South America. They are locally made. How many children do you have?" asks Lily.

"My husband, Dr. Carlisle Cullen and I have four adopted and three foster children," says Esme. "Rosalie has a twin brother, Jasper and Renesmee has an older brother Edward. Then there are our other two adopted children, Alice and Emmett."

"I thought that's who you were!" replies Tabitha. "We heard about your wonderful husband and everything that he is doing over at the hospital. And everyone is talking about how you have all of these children."

"They are?" asks Auntie Rose cautiously.

"Whitehorse is a very small city," explains Lily. "So anytime that people move in and out, it is big news. We heard that you are buying the old Parker ranch north of here and that the kids will be coming into the city to school."

"That's all true," says Esme. "You're right. I guess this is a small place."

"It's a great place too," says Lily. "Folks around here take care of each other. If you need any help with anything, you know with your moving, just ask."

"That's not a problem," replies Esme laughing. "In addition to Carlisle, we have three big strong boys. It will do them good to get to work on something."

"I didn't realize that the house was called the Parker ranch," says Auntie Rose. "I believe that we are buying it from a couple named Kaminsky."

"They were the last owners," says Tabitha. "But Chip Parker built the place in the early 1900s to raise sheep and horses. Then when Kaminsky bought him out thirty years ago he turned it into a Bed and Breakfast. He used the out buildings for the horses that he used to take the tourists out on the some of the trails. I believe that the original cabin is still on the property.

We were all wondering who would want to buy such a big place for a family home. We figured that it would be someone who wanted to run a hotel or something. But with a family of nine, I can see how you would want to space."

"Yes," replies Esme. "That's why my husband bought the house. It needs some work, but I do house house restoration as my hobby, in addition to interior design. I am looking forward to having a new place to fix up. And looking around here, I am already getting some design ideas for some of the rooms. I may end up being one of your best customers!"

"You can't imagine how much that will mean to our craftsmen and women," says Tabitha. "They are very proud people and do not like living on handouts. They really prefer to make their own money."

"I can't say that I blame them," says Momma. "My, um, birth mother never had a lot of money, but she didn't like asking anyone for financial help. She would rather work for them."

"I hope that you don't think that I am rude asking you all these questions," says Lily. "It's just that you sound like an interesting family. I am sure that your children all have interesting stories of their own."

Auntie Rose and Esme exchange a glance. Naturally, our stories are by interesting. I have a feeling that tonight we are going to be discussing the public stories that we will tell the humans. It's interesting, because Auntie Rose had warned me that humans tended to stay away from the vampires because they were so different.

But here in Whitehorse, it is different. Mrs. Miller was very interested in us and wanted to know all about me. Now Lily and Tabitha don't seem to be afraid at all. I am hope that the people here stay that way. Then I will be able to have friends too. I know that Momma and Daddy weren't concerned that people would be scared of _me, _but Emmet and Jasper are another thing completely.

"We are happy that people here are so welcoming," replies Esme. "I was afraid that when they saw all my teenagers that they would worry that they were troublemakers. We have run into that problem before, even when the kids were younger. But so far the administrators have been very helpful at the two schools."

"That's too bad about your other neighbors," says Tabitha. "But I think that you will find the people are very open-minded. Normally folks around here mind their own business and don't pry. We were just curious. Would you like to look around some more? I saw little Renesmee looking at the poncho in the window."

"How did you know that I was looking at the poncho? I ask.

"Mother has been selling things here for over fifty years," laughs Tabitha. "She can always spot a potential customer."

"Would you like to look at it?" asks Esme.

"Yes, Mom," I say obediently. "Please, may I?"

Of course, dear," she says fondly.

Lily goes over to a pile of ponchos and pulls one just like the one in the window out.

"These are one size fits all," she explains "You are so tiny that I think that you need a children's size."

She holds it up to my shoulders and nods. Then she slips it over my head. I walk over to the mirror and look at myself.

"I look different," I say, admiring my reflection.

"All you need is the right hat and a pair of boots and you will fit right in," says Tabitha.

I twirl around in front of the mirror. I then realize that I have never gone into a store and bought clothes for myself before. Alice has always ordered them online for me like she does for everyone else.

"This is fun," I say. "I've never bought clothes in a store before."

"We've always bought online for as long as she can remember," says Momma quickly. "And she's never picked out anything for herself."

Tabitha laughs.

"Well, Renesmee," she says. "Half the fun of being a girl is picking out your own clothes. How old are you?"

"I'm eleven," I say, remembering to give my human age. "But I turn twelve in September."

"That's plenty old enough to pick out your own stuff," says Tabitha.

Looking at Esme she adds, "Right, Mom?"

Esme looks at Auntie Rose and Momma and they all laugh.

"We will tell Alice that," says Esme. "But I don't know how much good it will do. My daughter Alice is the 'fashionista' of the family. She has taken charge of dressing everyone."

"Only because we let her," says Auntie Rose mischievously. "Maybe Renesmee can lead a rebellion."

"I'll follow," says Momma quickly.

I start to giggle. They are all being so silly. Tabitha and Lily look amused also, although they seem a little puzzled by something.

"Imagine," says Lily, shaking her head. "Letting a teenager be in charge of the family wardrobe."

"Alice has excellent taste," Esme says. "But sometimes her ideas are a little impractical for everyday. Honey, do you want to get the poncho?"

"Yes, please, Mom," I say, proud because I am playing my human part so well.

As Tabitha is ringing up the order, Lily comments to Esme, "Your little girl has such lovely manners. I wish all the children around here were so polite. I am sure that her teachers will like that. Which school is she going to?"

"The French immersion elementary school," answers Esme. "She's never had a chance to learn a foreign language before and we thought that this would be the best way, rather than with one of those CD Rohm programs."

"Makes sense to me," says Tabitha. "I didn't go through the French immersion program, but I did have to learn French like all Canadians. I'm afraid that I'm not very good at it. But of course I hardly ever use it. Even when we get the French Canadian tourists they would prefer to speak English rather than listen to my horrible French."

After we leave the shop, I turn around to Momma and say, "That was fun! What are we going to do now?"

"If we keep walking down this street," says Auntie Rose. "We can go to the bank of the Yukon River."

"Okay," says Esme. "Let's keep exploring."

As we walk along the street, I notice that people sometimes look at us and stare. I know that we look very different from everyone because of our very pale skin. And of course, the others have the odd golden eyes of vegetarian vampires. But I also notice how differently we move from the humans. Even though we are just casually walking along, Momma, Esme, and Auntie Rose look so graceful.

But I also notice that several of the men are staring at them. I suppose that is because they're so beautiful. Auntie Rose will occasionally toss her curls over her shoulder and look around to see if anyone is looking at her. Momma looks like she is trying to avoid looking at other people. Esme just seems unconscious of the attention.

"Everybody is looking at us," I whisper.

"That's because we are new in town," says Esme. "They will get used to us."

"Maybe," says Aunt Rose smugly. "But they are also looking at us because we look so beautiful."

"I don't like the way that some of the men are looking at me," says Momma. "Some of the look very rough."

Auntie Rose laughs.

"Bella," she says in mock frustration. "You're a vampire now! You could crush any one of those big gorillas with one hand tied behind your back. Don't worry. When we go out with our men, no one dares to look at us twice. But they sure as heck would get a surprise if they did."

"Bella," says Esme anxiously. "If anyone does bother you,you must be very careful not to overreact. It would not take much to push back or hit someone and kill him."

"I hadn't thought of that," she admitted. "I guess that I'm going to have to get used to being the scariest thing out here."

"That's right," says Auntie Rose. "It's not something that you ever had to think about before when the three of you were living like hermits. I think that in the beginning you and Renesmee should only go out in public with one of us."

"That's probably a good idea," agrees Esme. "But it is going to be easier for Renesmee because she is half-human."

We reach the river and look out over it and towards the mountains.

"It kind of looks like home," I say. "But the plants are all wrong."

"I think that it looks more like Alaska," says Momma.

"The winter nights are amazing up in this part of the world," says Auntie Rose. "Wait until you see the Northern Lights. There's nothing like them and no picture that you've ever seen can do the, justice. Our place is like Tanya's in that it is so far out of town that you don't have the light pollution to obscure your view."

"Speaking of the house," says Esme. "Why don't we go back to the condo? Carlisle should be home from work by now and he can take us all out to see it."

On the drive back, Auntie Rose turns around and asks, "So Renesmee, how do you like your new town?"

"I think that it's great," I say. "The people that I've met so far have all been very nice. And it's fun to play the pretend human game."

"You did very well today," says Esme. "You remembered your human age and never forgot which of us was Mom."

"But I did slip up about buying the clothes," I. Say.

"That wasn't really a slip up," says Momma. "When I was older than you, Renee was still buying all my clothes for me. But I think that was mostly because I hated shopping."

"You still do," comments Auntie Rose, "That's why you get stuck wearing the clothes that Alice buys for you. If you don't like them, then buy your own."

"Do you think that you will like living here?" asks Momma, ignoring Auntie Rose's teasing.

"Yes," I reply. "It's kind of fun to do all these new things."

But in my head, I add that I would like it even more if my Jacob was here. And then I realize that I haven't thought about him all afternoon. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But I figure that I will find out soon.

Revised: 17 Jan 14


	6. My New House

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Author's Note: Chapter 5 has been revised slightly to add more detail. Sorry I'm a day late with this update. I am in the middle of mid-term season at school, and don't want to publish this story in too much of a rush without enough time to proofread and edit.**

**Chapter 6: My New House**

When we return to the condos from town, I am proud of myself because I don't say a word about Jacob. I am finally realizing that if he does call, they will tell me. And if he comes, he will be here. And every time I ask about him, they all look very worried about me. I don't want them to worry or feel bad because we moved. Now that I have spent one day here, I can see why they wanted to leave Forks.

It is much more interesting to go out and talk to new people than to only talk with each other. I never realized that humans could be so nice. Jacob always made me think that it was very dangerous for me in the outside world among them and that I had to have _him_ to protect me.

But when we went to school before and then to visit the town, I felt perfectly safe. And he always said that no one could ever understand me as well as he could. But I'm not so sure about that anymore. Lily and Tabitha seemed to understand me real well in the store.

And Mrs. Miller seemed to know all about girls like me. In fact, _I'm _even starting to believe that I'm really eleven going on twelve. Somehow it just feels right. But maybe that's because all the humans just accept me that way. After years of being told that I wouldn't fit in, it's nice to think that I actually could be normal, and not some weird human-vampire hybrid that no one ever heard of before.

When Alice sees my shopping bags, she asks me what I bought. So I show her.

"Bella! Esme!" she shrieks. "You aren't thinking of letting her wear _that _in public, are you?"

"Where else would I wear it?" I ask. "The lady in the store said that it would make me fit in. All that I need now are boots and the right hat."

"You mean a cowboy hat?" she asks in horror.

"I think so," I say. "Auntie Rose did she mean a cowboy hat?"

But Momma and Rosalie are laughing so hard that neither one can answer. Esme is too nice to laugh at Alice in her face, but I can see that she is also amused. I really don't know what is so funny, other than the look on Alice's face, which is a combination of consternation and disgust.

"I think that she will look cute," says Momma when she finally catches her breath. "And we do want her to be able to fit in. Besides, Renesmee is very excited because this is the first article of clothing that she has ever chosen for herself."

"And it will be the last if I have anything to say about it," growls Alice. "It looks like she inherited her fashion sense from her mother."

"Alice," says Esme patiently. "You don't have anything to say about it. Now we have never sent a child to school at this age and we are not going to make any mistakes if we can. Since you never went to middle school and Bella has, we are going to let her make decisions like this. You may be comfortable dressing up for school every day like a fashion model, but Renesmee will not if it makes her stand out."

"Hey, you guys!" calls out Emmett as he, Jasper, and Daddy walk in. "Isn't it great to have the family together again? Here we are, just one big happy family!"

Alice groans and runs out with Jasper right behind her. Daddy and Emmett look at each other and laugh.

"Okay, boys," says Esme. "What was that all about?"

"Edward could hear what Alice was thinking as we came in," explains Emmett. "He told us about how she was fuming over the fact that you finally let Renesmee pick something to wear out for herself. And she was mad because everyone was interfering."

"It was his idea to rub it in," adds Daddy. "I was telling Jasper to warn him ahead of time about her bad mood."

"Well, it wasn't nice, Emmett" replies Esme. "How many times have I told you not to tease her like that? I guess this is what I get for telling you to start acting your new human ages again."

"Good afternoon, everyone," says Carlisle cheerfully as he walks in.

"You sure look happy, Carlisle," says Emmett. "I guess that you're glad to be back to work."

"I feel ten years younger!" he says as we all laugh.

"Well you certainly look the same way that you did ten years ago," comments Auntie Rose. "But you really do look happier."

"I have just had a great day," he replies. "The hospital is always short staffed, so I was able to work for a few hours in the emergency room. I'm glad that I saved all my old licenses to practice in Canada. Jasper did a great job updating them for me. So Renesmee, how do you think that you are going to like going to school?"

"I think that it's going to be fun," I say. "I'm still scared, but Mrs. Miller is very nice. We met some other people in town who are nice too."

"We went into the Trading Post," explains Auntie Rose. "Show Carlisle your poncho, honey."

I slip it over my head and twirl around.

"Hey that's great!" says Daddy, seeing it for the first time. "Is that the cause of all the fuss with Alice? I think that it's very smart. It makes her look like she's from Whitehorse."

"I think that it's more the idea that she won't be in complete control of Renesmee's wardrobe anymore that has her upset" replies Esme. "But when we were in the store, the saleswomen were surprised to hear that Renesmee had never picked out clothing for herself before. We're going to need to come up with a back story pretty quickly if we want to keep going out in public."

"I noticed the same thing at the hospital," says Carlisle. "The people there are all very interested in our background. And they are very friendly. I was surprised because they didn't seem at all put off by my appearance. But their good-natured curiosity could be dangerous if we aren't careful. I like it here and don't want to have to move again before our time is up."

"Nurses swooning in the hallways again, Carlisle?" asks Emmett playfully.

"Of course," he answers grinning. "What would my job be without a few swooning nurses? But everyone is very grateful that we decided to settle here."

"Speaking of settling," asks Daddy. "When do we get to see the house?"

"As soon as I change," replies Carlisle as he walks out. "Esme can drive the Mercedes, and I'll drive the rental."

"It really sucks, Edward, you know?" complains Emmett. "No driving for another year or two. I hate being fifteen."

"Yes," says Esme seriously. "But if you are going to pull it off, you can't drive. If you were behind the wheel of the car, you would look much older."

"I was behind the wheel of the car when I was fourteen when I was human," he grumbles. "Never did have a driver's license. Out where I lived, the police just looked the other way."

"Well, I'm not sure the police will look the other way here," she replies. "And the way that people are curious in this town, I am sure that half of them would notice and say, 'isn't that Carlisle Cullen's boy?' Then I would get a bunch of phone calls about my scoff-law son."

"Okay, okay, _Mom," _he says. "I'll be good. But it's a heck of a lot easier to live with humans when we can scare the crap out of them and they ignore us and stay away."

"That's not possible anymore, or at least not on purpose," answers Auntie Rose. "Having Renesmee with us changes things. We don't want the other children to be afraid of her because of you. Besides, it will make the game more interesting for all of us."

"And of course whatever is best for Renesmee is best for you, right?" he challenges her.

"Whatever is best for Renesmee is best for _all _of us," says Esme with a finality that indicates that the conversation is over.

"Let's go everyone," says Carlisle coming back in, followed by Jasper and Alice.

Daddy, Momma, Auntie Rose, and I go with Esme. The others go with Carlisle who leads the way. We drive west away from town and then turn off to the north on a dusty old gravel road. Once we hit the old road, Carlisle begins to speed up.

"It's about twenty-five miles up," explains Auntie Rose. "We can pave this access road and be able to get to town in about ten minutes."

"You can try," mutters Daddy. "But the frost heaves in winter will tear it up by Christmas."

"And it's a beautiful piece of property," she continues, ignoring him. "The Yukon River runs through it and it has great views of the mountains. We all fell in love with it the minute we saw it."

I can feel myself leaning over the front seat and bouncing up and down with excitement as I try to catch the first sight of the new house. Finally we pass by a little cabin and the there is a large grey house in front of us. It is two stories high and wide across the front. It has a long porch all the away. I know that there must be more behind it. Off to the left is the big horse barn. As soon as we stop, everyone jumps out of the car.

"What do you think?" asks Carlisle proudly.

"I need to see the inside," says Esme honestly. "It's hard to tell from out here."

"We can change the color if you like," says Alice, finally speaking again. "It needs to be repainted anyway."

Carlisle takes out a key and opens the front door. A large great room spreads out in front of us. To right, it a large coat room that Auntie Rose calls a mudroom. She explains that in New England all the houses have them so that people don't track mud through the house in bad weather. We step out into the great room and can see that the center part of the house has been opened up all the way to the roof.

To the right and left of us are staircases that lead up to the second floor. Around the second floor there are walkways that circle the whole floor. You can then see the back wall of the house, which opens to the last side. There are beams going across the two-story ceiling. It looks old and shabby, but I know that Esme can work miracles with it.

"There is plenty of room for Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett, to have 'apartments' on either side of the second floor," explains Carlisle. "Three rooms each. And then on the second floor in the back there are four rooms for Edward, Bella, and Renesmee. Below them, will be our rooms. Then around the first floor beneath the living spaces on either side of the great room, we can a library, music room, offices, anything that we want."

"It has so much potential!" says Esme, looking around in wonder. "We can open up sky lights in the cathedral ceiling in here. Can we create the same kind of glass walls that we had in Forks?"

"The foundation is sturdy," says Emmett. "Because this was a hotel before, they had all kinds of building codes to follow."

"Bed and breakfast," corrects Alice with an edge in her voice.

"Children," says Carlisle in a warning tone. "What did we just talk about in the car?"

Daddy grins at Momma and whispers, "Told you so!"

"Lets take a walk through," says Esme, ignoring them, and leads us up the stairs.

Since this is Esme's big part of the move, everyone is quiet as we pass through the empty rooms. I notice that Esme has pulled out a large sketchbook and is quickly drawing the spaces and jotting down numbers. Daddy had explained to Mommy before we left that Esme is so good at eyeing it that she doesn't need to take measurements.

Occasionally she asks a question about everyone's preferences. She asks Emmett and Auntie Rose which room they want for a bedroom, Alice which room she wants for a closet, and Jasper which room he wants for his Civil War memorabilia.

Then we turn into our section of the house. Daddy tells me to pick out whichever room I want, so I pick out a corner room. Momma and Daddy pick the one across the hallway.

"Would you like glass walls on both sides?" asks Esme.

"Yes, Mom," I say. "It will be like living in a tree house!"

Everyone stops and stares at me.

"What?" I ask.

"You just called Esme, Mom," says Daddy.

"Isn't that what you want me to do?" I ask. "If I try and call her two different things, then I will get mixed up. But I know the difference between Mom and my Momma. No one can ever be my Momma except my Momma."

I give my Momma a hug and she pats me on the back.

"It looks like our little Renesmee is catching on to this game very quickly," says Carlisle.

"I only hope that I will be that good," grimaces Momma. "I'm a terrible actress."

"Any least you're not a klutz anymore," says Emmett. "Esme doesn't have to worry about you taking down the place or anything."

"Emmett," says Carlisle in his warning voice.

"Relax, _Dad," _he says cheerfully. "Bella knows that it's all in good fun. And she has a much thicker skin than Alice."

"Emmett!"

"I've got enough notes in here to keep me busy for a while," says Esme, once again staying out of the fray. "Lets go outside."

We walk over to the barn to look around.

"I think that we can easily fit all seven cars, plus the motorcycle in here," says Carlisle. "With room to spare."

"Good," says Esme. "Because I want a vehicle of my own."

"You do?" ask Daddy and Emmett together.

"Well," she says. "We are living a bit further out of town than usual. But I also have some ideas for what I want to do with some of the rooms and I will want to be going around to buy some of the local crafts and artwork. The great room would be the perfect space to decorate with a First Nations theme. And a pick up truck would be very good for hauling in all my new treasures."

"Yes, it would," says Carlisle. "And it will good in the snow and ice. However, we are also going to need some kind of van so that you can drive the seven kids into town to school every day, at least until one of them is 'old enough' to legally drive. Then that one will have to drive them all in."

"I think that we will be able to get all ten vehicles in here," she says, looking around. "I guess that the pick up can't be too large."

"That would have been great," says Emmett. "Can you see Esme in a monster truck?"

"I can see Esme in a monster truck shocking the hell out of the good people of Whitehorse when she carries a couch out to it all by herself," says Jasper.

At the thought of it, we all laugh again. I can't believe how much we have laughed today. It is just so much fun talking about all of these new things together and making plans. Everyone is teasing and joking. It feels like we haven't laughed like this in years. As we drive out, I notice the little cabin again on the road to the house.

"Don't you want to look at the cabin to see how you can fix it up for Jacob?" I ask Esme.

Momma puts her hand on my arm and Daddy and Auntie Rose look at each other. There is silence in the car, until Esme finally speaks.

"Carlisle told me that it is a simple, two room design," she says quietly. "It has it's own kitchen along the wall of the main room. There isn't a whole lot that needs to be done with it. But _if _Jacob comes, I would want to talk to him, the way I will be speaking with the rest of you, about his decorating preferences."

"Okay," I say. "I bet that he would like some of the things in the Trading Post."

"If he doesn't scare the bejeezus out of Lily and Tabitha," mutters Auntie Rose.

"Rose," says Esme.

"Come on, Esme," she says. "He is an almost seven-foot tall, very muscular Native American. I haven't seen anyone around here, white or First Nations, who is even close to being that big. He may stand out more than we do. And what do you think if people saw him walking down the street with Renesmee? He is at least eighteen inches taller than she is."

"I hadn't thought of that," admits Esme.

"I thought of it," says Daddy. "And I decided that we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

No one says anything else on the way home. I think that I know that Daddy really meant that he hoped that Jacob wouldn't come. I tried to imagine what it would look like if people did see Jacob and I walking down the street together. If they didn't know that he was my friend, what would they think? I can't think of anything good that they would have to say about it, so I push it out of my mind. I decide that I will do what Daddy is doing and cross that bridge when I come to it.

**Author's note: The character of Jacob that I am soon going to be introducing will be modeled in looks on the descriptions in the book, not the movie. In the book **_**Eclipse, **_**even Bella admitted that her friend Jacob was scary looking to people who didn't know him, for example, the kids and teachers at school the day he showed up on his motorcycle to challenge Edward. **

**When reading about him, please don't picture Taylor Lautner. He is at least a foot shorter than the Jacob that Stephanie Meyers originally envisioned. (But he is a good-looking actor and played the part well.)**


	7. My New Life Story

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 7: My New Life Story**

When we return from our visit to the new house, Momma makes me dinner. One of the things that I love about my Momma is that no matter what she is doing, if I am hungry, she will always stop and make me human food. She told me once that it because of her years of practice cooking for Grandpa Charlie and her mother Renee. That's why she is glad that Grandpa has Sue now to take care of him. She won't let him starve.

She is going hunting later with Alice and Auntie Rose, but I don't feel like hunting. Sometimes it's just easier to eat human food. Besides, they are having what they call a "girls' night out." I am not entirely sure of what that is, but I think that it may have something to do with talking about their men. After I'm done, Carlisle calls us together.

"We need to talk about the back story that we are going to tell everyone about the family," he says seriously. "We've been out telling people things already. From what I can tell, the people here in Whitehorse are going to be more curious about us than usual, not to mention friendlier. That means that we need to be consistent in what we tell people."

"So far what have you told everyone, Carlisle?" asks Esme. "You've had the most contact with the humans in town."

"It's the usual thing," he replies. "We have seven children. Four of them, Alice, Emmett, Edward, and Renesmee are adopted. Edward and Renesmee are biological brother and sister, only two years apart in age. Remember that you two! We also have three foster children, the twins Jasper and Rosalie Hale, and our most recent addition, Bella Swan."

"How old are we?" Esme asks.

"We are both thirty," he says. "Our first adopted children were Edward and Renesmee because we couldn't have children of our own. That was seven years ago while I was in med school. You were working from home as an interior designer. Then we adopted Alice and Emmett two years later, but they are not related. Jasper and Rosalie joined us three years ago at the age of twelve and Bella two years ago, also at the age of twelve."

"I'll contact Jenks right away and get the documents," says Jasper. "They should be ready before we go to school."

"That's a good idea," says Carlisle. "The high school didn't make a big deal over transcripts and identification, but Mrs. Miller was more scrupulous."

"She bought the ones I forged easily enough," said Jasper. "But we will need to update the immunizations. They have to have by law here."

"Where was everyone adopted?" asks Esme.

"I think that we should stick with the usual places," says Carlisle. "We will say that Renesmee and Edward came from Chicago, Alice and Emmett were adopted in Tennessee, and then we added the other three in Alaska."

"Wow!" says Momma. "You think of everything."

"Almost, says Daddy. "I was a little too 'parental,' shall we say, with Mrs. Miller. Esme said that I had been very insistent on caring for my little sister from a very young age. I think that we both forgot that I would have been four that we were orphaned, at the time based on what you told her when you first contacted her."

"We did," admits Esme. "And she noticed, but we covered it well. And I was able to fudge the dates by saying that there were lots of people who wanted to adopt the little girl, but not the boy as well. And we also have to be careful of our own ages at the time of the adoptions. We cannot have started adopting at the age of eighteen. That means that we cannot have adopted any of you too young."

"We've been here before," says Carlisle. "Most people don't think too hard about the story."

"I don't know," says Auntie Rose. "Tabitha and Lily made quite a fuss about what special people you are for adopting so many children out of the goodness of your heart."

"They always say that," says Emmett. "Of course now there are seven of us. But still, maybe some other family will move to town and they will lose interest."

"That's very possible," says Daddy. "And you know once school starts up there will be plenty of other things to keep people occupied. Right now, there just isn't that much going on. But I don't see how you will lose your sainthood credentials any time soon. People have always thought that wherever we've gone. At least once they get used to it, all the commentary stops."

"So how did we all lose our parents?" asks Alice. "That's the kind of morbid question that humans like to ask. Bella, we don't have to say too much. If you put a very sad expression on your face when you tell them they won't ask too many details."

"What if they are rude and want more information?" she asks.

"Make like you are going to tear up and say that you can't talk about it," answers Auntie Rose. "Someone will usually tell them to bug off."

"I want the same the same background that I had the last time," says Emmett. "My parents were cooking meth in the house. And when the police busted them, the state took me away because they were using me to deliver the stuff."

"Figures you like that dramatic story," says Alice rolling her eyes. "I'll go with the plane crash. It's boring, but that's better. No one asks too many questions."

"I never heard about that in Forks," says Momma.

"That's because the kids and Forks were scared of us right from the start," answers Emmett. "Some of them asked a few questions, but it never got very far."

"That's because they asked Alice and I first and our stories were too boring. Usually, my parents died in a car crash," says Edward. "I guess this time I will be too young to remember them. And certainly Renesmee will."

"Jasper and I are foster kids from Alaska this time," says Auntie Rose. "How do people die in Alaska? Eaten by a polar bear?"

"Nothing too outrageous that might have made the news," warns Carlisle. "We can pull out the old army vet story about your father's PTSD and suicide. Your Mom ran out on you all before that, and you were traumatized by the whole thing. It's good because it explains why Jasper walks around like he's in pain and you are so self-absorbed. And there is an army base close to Fairbanks."

"What about me?" Momma asks. "I guess that my story only goes back two years."

"I vote for the unwed mother in jail for selling drugs," says Daddy. "Especially since you are a foster child. You were abused by her, and that's why you are so shy. Alice is going to be your best friend anyway, so you can let her do the talking."

"That's a smart idea," says Alice. "At least until she gets better with the whole human acting thing. Everyone knows what a terrible actress she is. Maybe she should act withdrawn."

"Not unless you want me to spend lots of time in the guidance office," says Momma. "I think that less is more and I should just be shy. Besides, two of you are already traumatized."

"Can we pull off putting the two of us in the same classes?" Alice asks.

"We already have," replies Carlisle. "I told them something along the lines of Bella still needs support from her bad experiences, which I left unmentioned by the way. I've also used the Edward as protector motif to explain why he tends to hover over her.

"It will help make things easier, if we keep these things in character. Edward is protective of both her and Renesmee because he is such a kind and thoughtful kid, end of story."

"Don't look so nervous Bella," says Jasper. "We go through this every time. Some of us, like Emmett, want elaborate background stories. The rest of us just want to say as little as possible. And don't worry about what people are thinking. That is what we have Edward for."

"Kids, there's something else that we need to discuss," says Esme seriously. "Speaking of what people are thinking."

"What?" Emmett asks.

"You have to cool it with the PDAs* for at least a year," she says. "Since we know that people will be watching more closely than ever, we don't need any rumors that Carlisle and I are running a dating service, or worse. Things got a little heavy there in Forks for a while."

"Thanks to Jessica Stanley's big mouth," grumbles Daddy.

"It doesn't matter who starts it," says Carlisle sternly. "You are only fourteen and fifteen years old, at least to the humans. No one needs to guess that you are all much older and married. But that's not what they guess anyway. Remember Vermont?"

There is silence around the table and Emmett and Auntie Rose look at each other guiltily.

"I know," says Jasper. "If we don't play it right, we have to move again and we all like it here."

"I think that we can handle it," says Auntie Rose as she looks at Emmett. "After all, we don't sleep."

They all laugh about something, but I am not exactly sure of what. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the alone time that I don't know anything about. But I don't have the nerve to ask.

"Do we need to discuss anything else now?" asks Jasper.

"No," says Carlisle. "I think that we are good for now. I suggest that we stay out of the public eye for a while. I will be going to work at the hospital everyday, but I am sure that you all can find something to do around here. I will also be signing the papers for the house in two days. Once that is done, there will be plenty to keep you all busy. Can you keep out of trouble until then?"

"Sure, Dad," laughs Emmett. "Hey! Anyone want to go hunting tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan," says Jasper.

"I think that Bella and I will stay behind this time," says Daddy.

"Got some catching up to do, bro?" asks Emmett.

"Maybe," answers Daddy with a smile.

But Momma glares at him and shakes her head. Uh, oh, I think, alone time again. Momma doesn't like it when Emmett teases her about that.

"Come on, girls!" says Auntie Rose. "Time for a little female bonding time. Do you want to come, Esme?

"No, I think that I'll stay back and keep Renesmee company," she says.

"Okay," she says. "See you later boys!"

On the way out the door, she smacks Emmett on the rear end. The men all laugh and Daddy punches him in the arm. Carlisle smiles and picks up a local newspaper to read. The men go over to the other condo to watch European football.

"What would you like to do?" Esme asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. I really don't know what I want to do. It's one of those times when it stinks being the only kid in the house. But Esme puts her arm around me and takes me over to my room and closes the door. We sit down on my bed together, and I know that we are going to have one of our talks. We usually have them when I am confused about something and Momma doesn't want to discuss it with me because she is too embarrassed.

"Do you have something that you want to talk about, honey?" she asks kindly.

I nod, but I don't know what to say.

"I'm not like your Daddy," Esme comments. "I can't read your thoughts. I'm afraid that you are going to have to say the words out loud. Unless you want to show me what you want to talk about."

I put my hands behind my back. I don't have any pictures for what I want to know. I swallow hard.

"Alone time," I whisper.

Esme's eyebrows shoot up.

"What do you mean, alone time?" she asks carefully, even though she probably knows already.

"I mean," I say softly. "I want to know what it is."

"What do you think that it is?"

I know that I am turning pink now. I just don't know how to say it.

"Does it have anything to do with the way that humans make babies?" I ask looking down at my hands.

Esme is quiet for a long time. Finally, she speaks.

"I know that we taught you a few years ago how humans make babies," she finally says. "And we told you that it was a very special thing that only two people who were married did."

"Yes, I know," I say. "But I guess my question is, do vampires do it too?"

I am not able to describe the look that comes on her face, but I have never seen anyone look like that before. She looks embarrassed, amused, thoughtful, and confused all at the same time. Finally she thinks of something to say.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well," I explain. "You see, everyone is always talking about alone time. And alone time isn't really alone. It's something that you share with your mate. You lock the door and you stay closed up for hours and hours. And then when you come out, you both look very happy.

"It seems like it's the same thing that humans do to make babies, because that what it seems like in the books and movies with love stories. But I'm confused because why would vampires do that if they can't make babies?"

When I am done, I take a deep breath and wait for my answer.

"Maybe this is something that you should talk about with your Momma," she suggests.

"Please don't make me have to explain that all over again," I beg her. "You're my Mom here in Whitehorse, why can't you tell me?"

Now she gets a funny look on her face.

"Let's just say that I never thought that I would ever be having this kind of conversation with a daughter, real or pretend," she says. "But you're right. I won't make you go through your whole question again. And the answer is this. Yes, vampires do the same thing that humans do to make babies."

She looks like she is hoping that the discussion will end here. But I have another question.

"Why would you do that if you can't make a baby?" I ask.

"Renesmee," she says gently. "There's a reason why we call it lovemaking. Yes, it's the way that humans make babies. But it's also something that two people share when they love each other very, very much. And it's, well, very pleasurable for both.

"And not all humans do it to make babies. In fact in health class this year, you are going to learn about birth control and the different methods that humans use so that they can make love without making babies."

"Okay, that makes sense now," I say. "I guess vampires are lucky that they don't have to use birth control."

Then she looks sad.

"Renesmee, that is something that you should never say again, especially in front of your Auntie Rose," she says. "You see before you came along, your Auntie Rose was very sad that she could never have a baby. That's why she fought so hard to help your Momma have you. When everyone else didn't know what you were, she always believed that you were nothing but a sweet little baby."

"But Daddy knew when he heard my mind," I say. "He told me so. He said that when he heard that I loved my Momma and the sound of her voice that he didn't think that I was a monster anymore."

"But before that it was Rosalie who really believed in you, just like your Momma," she says. "I believed too, or rather I hoped. You see I died in my human life because I had lost my own little baby. And so I tried to kill myself."

"But Carlisle found you and changed you before you died," I say. "I know that story. But were you sad too because you couldn't have a vampire baby, like Auntie Rose?"

"Yes, we were both sad," she explains. "But when your Momma came back pregnant from her honeymoon we did everything that we could to make sure that you were born safely. If it wasn't for your Auntie Rose, you might not have survived at all, or your Momma might have died."

"What do you mean?" I ask, now feeling confused.

"After you were born, your Daddy couldn't take care of you and save your Momma at the same time," she explains. "Rosalie tried to help him with the delivery, but her thirst was too great and there was too much blood. Alice had to get her out if the room before the feeding frenzy started.

"But when your Momma's heart had stopped beating right after you were born and your Daddy had to get the venom into her or she would die. So Rosalie came and took you away so that he didn't have to choose. It was very hard for her to do, but after everything that we had been through, she didn't want either if you to die."

"I remember that," I say. "I remember that I cried because they took me away from my Momma. There was a lot of shouting. But Jacob saved Momma and me, not Auntie Rose. _He _made sure that Daddy didn't have to choose."

Esme looks like she is in terrible pain all of the sudden. Her face looks very, very upset, like she said something that she wasn't supposed to.

"Mom," I say. "What's wrong? Jacob said that he saved us both."

Then she gets up and in a flash she is out the door. Before I have time to think of it, she and Carlisle are back.

"Renesmee," says Carlisle in his comforting voice. "You need to know the truth about something."

"What is it?" I ask, suddenly feeling sad.

Esme may sits down behind me and wraps me in her cool arms, while Carlisle looks at me with his beautiful, amber-colored eyes.

"Jacob did not always feel the same way about you as he does now," he says kindly. "We didn't want to tell you, because we didn't want you to change your feelings for him. But for a while now, I have thought that you needed to know the truth about what Rosalie did for you."

"My feelings about Jacob won't change," I say slowly. "Why would they?"

"Jacob hated you when your mother was pregnant with you," he says. "He thought that you were a monster who was going to kill her. Even after your Daddy first heard your thoughts, he still hated you.

"After you were born, when Edward asked him to hold you so that he could save Bella, he told him to throw you out the window. He was very upset because he thought that you had killed your Momma. In fairness, he probably didn't even realize what he was saying."

"That's a lie," I whisper hoarsely. "My Jacob would never say that."

"He did," says Carlisle. "Both Edward and Rosalie told us. They hadn't even told your Momma until recently. But if Rosalie hadn't come to take you, then perhaps neither of you would have made it."

"Why didn't they tell me?" I ask.

"Jacob imprinted right after that," he replies. "And even when you were a baby, you responded to him. They didn't want to hurt you. Esme didn't mean to tell you now, but it slipped out when you were talking about babies. She was not trying to say anything bad about Jacob. But she just wanted you to know how much Rosalie loves you. This is not about him. It is about her."

"But I also think that you need to know that you are incredibly special to both Esme and Rosalie, more special than you can imagine. Your Momma has always generously shared you with them because she knows how hard they worked to make sure that you would live. And for them, you have filled an empty space in their lives that they never thought would be filled."

"But what about Jacob?" I ask.

"I don't know what to tell you," he says. "Jacob has very powerful feelings of love and protectiveness for you. They have not changed because we told you this. But he did not imprint until after Rosalie had saved you. And that is the truth. It is something that you need to know as you look forward to the future."

"I always wondered why Auntie Rose never really liked Jacob," I say slowly. "I thought that she was just jealous. Maybe she was, but she loved me first. She saved my Momma and me. She knew what Jacob said, but she never told me, even when she was most mad at Jacob. Why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't want to cause you any pain," he says again. "None of us really understand the whole imprinting thing. We didn't want to do anything that could threaten your happiness. I'm not even sure now that it was the right thing to tell you the truth."

"It was the right thing," I say. "I needed to know. I need to know. I'm glad that I didn't stay behind in La Push like Jacob wanted. I love my family and how happy we all are together now. And I like laughing and meeting more humans and going to school. Jacob always told me that it would be too dangerous to be away from him. He said that he could protect me better than anyone."

"Based on his genes and cultural background," says Carlisle. "He truly believes that. The nature of imprinting is such that his whole world revolves around you."

"If that's true than why isn't he here?" I ask stubbornly. "I keep waiting for him to come and he doesn't. He doesn't even call to ask how I am, does he?"

"No," says Carlisle reluctantly. "He hasn't even done that."

"And I don't believe the whole protecting thing anymore," I say. "I haven't seen him in six days and nothing has happened to me. And I'm happier than I was before. And I never want to leave my family. I love you all so much."

But even as I say the words, I start to cry. It feels like everything that Jacob ever told me is a lie. But in my heart, I am hurting because he is staying away. Maybe he doesn't care if I am safe anymore. Esme holds me in her arms and Carlisle holds us both. And I feel as safe as any little girl could feel with her grandparents to take care of her. Who needs an old wolf anyway?

*PDA = Public Display of Affection


	8. Truth

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 8: Truth**

After I am comforted, Carlisle leaves Esme and I alone in my room. We don't talk, but I don't want to be alone. After a couple of hours, Momma comes in.

"Renesmee dear, Carlisle told me that you have heard some upsetting things earlier," she says. "Would you like to talk about them?"

I shake my head no, and then nod yes. I think that maybe the only person who can really explain things is Momma. Esme pats my head and leaves us alone. I don't blame her. I have not been very good company at all.

"Where is Daddy?" I ask.

"He thought that it would be easier if you just talked to me," she says. "He knows that sometimes you have trouble talking about things with him because he can see all your thoughts. At least with me, you don't have to say anything that you don't want me to know."

"I wish that I was like you," I say wistfully.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Daddy can't read your thoughts," I reply. "You don't have to let him know every little thing that's in your head."

"I was glad about that in the beginning, before I really got to know him well," she says. "But thanks to Zafrina, I learned how to open my mind so that he could see it. Sometimes I like being able to do that."

"Because you love him so much," I say.

"Because I love him so much," she agrees. "When you meet the person that you love so much that you want to spend the rest of your life with him, you don't mind if he knows all your secret thoughts. You want to share everything with him."

"Did you always know that you loved Daddy like that?" I ask.

"No, not in the beginning," she says. "In the beginning he used to make me very mad. He was rude to me and ignored me. He hated me."

"Because you were his singer?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "That was part of it. The other part was that he couldn't know what I was thinking. But sometimes when he looked at me, he would scare me. And in the beginning, it seemed like we were always arguing about something."

"How did you find out that you loved him?" I ask.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a big revelation," she says slowly. "But once we started talking to each other, we started to realize that we felt the same way about each other.

"He was always trying to protect me. It was very strange for me in the beginning because I was used to taking care of other people, not to mention myself. And I was mad because he was so different from anyone else that I have ever met in my life, but he wouldn't answer my questions."

"So Daddy always protected you when you were human?" I ask.

"He tried," she says with a smile. "I was pretty hard to protect. He told me that I was a danger magnet. It made me mad at first, but then when I thought about the number of things that he had to save me from, I realized he was right. But I also liked the fact that he was always there."

"Did you feel really bad when he left you?" I ask.

Momma is suddenly very quiet. She stops smiling and just stares into the distance. I wait for her to start to talk.

"It was the worst time of my human life," she says. "I loved your father so much. He was the most important thing in my world and when he was gone it felt as though my life was over."

"And he never tried to call or write to you?" I ask.

"No," she says. "He was trying to protect me. He thought that my life would be better without him. But if he wasn't there, I felt like I didn't have a life."

"But Jacob was there for you, wasn't he?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "If Jacob hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened to me. But it probably wouldn't have been good."

"But when Daddy came back, Jacob got mad at you," I say.

"Very mad," she agrees. "Beyond mad. He wouldn't call me or answer the notes that I sent him. He was very hurt because he loved me, but I still loved your Daddy. He couldn't understand why I forgave him so easily for going away. But Jacob always felt differently for me than I did for him."

"Momma, Esme told me that Jacob hated me when you were pregnant with we," I say.

"That's true," she says. "But he still wouldn't let Sam's pack come and kill us. It was very difficult for Jacob to look at me when I was pregnant with you. It wasn't just because you weren't his child. He could also see that the pregnancy was making me sick and that it would probably kill me. Even Carlisle wasn't sure if I would be well enough to be turned after you were born."

"But you never hated me," I say. "Why did Daddy?"

"Daddy and I didn't know that we could have a baby," she says. "We weren't careful when we went on our honeymoon."

"You didn't use birth control," I say. "Esme told me that that is what humans use so that they can do what you do to make babies without making babies."

Momma smiles.

"Carlisle told me that you and Esme discussed that," she says. "I wish I could have seen her face when you asked her why vampires do what you do to make babies when they can't make babies."

"I wish you could see her face too," I say and then reach up and touch her neck and show her the conversation.

She looks at and me laughs out loud.

"That was very good," she says. "Esme is usually the most difficult of all of us to surprise. She is such a tranquil person."

"But why did Daddy hate me?" I ask.

"Daddy didn't really hate _you," _she replies. "He hated himself for hurting me so much. And until he heard your thoughts, he thought that you were a monster who was killing its own mother. But the first thing that he heard you thinking was that you liked the sound of my voice. But then when you said that you loved me, that was all he had to hear."

"So he loved me because I loved you?"

"It was more than that," she says. "When he heard your mind, he realized how good and pure you were. At first, he was afraid that you would be like him. And, at that time, he thought that he was a very bad person. He hated himself because he thought that he had destroyed me. But he could never hate anything that loved me. He was terrified when he thought that we were both dying."

"If Jacob hated me, then why was he there when I was born?" I ask.

"Renesmee, are you sure that you really want to talk about this?" she asks.

"Yes," I say. "I need to know the truth. I want to understand. I mean, I know that I should be really mad at Jacob, but well, I can't."

"I know that feeling very well," she says. "Jacob does have a tendency to make you feel very mad at him, but it is difficult to stay mad with him. Jacob was there because even though he hated you, he couldn't stay away from me. He wanted to do everything that he could to save me, even if it meant letting Daddy change me into a vampire. You know that part. But you still weren't real to him at that time, other than as the thing that was killing me."

"But when I was born, didn't I just look like a little baby?" I ask.

"I don't think that he was really looking at you," she says. "He was looking at me, and I was dead. He did not believe that Daddy could change me because my heart had stopped beating. But Daddy refused to give up. He got so much venom into me that I changed in two days instead of three. But Jacob gave up and left the room before he could see that he was successful."

"But when he _did _see me," I say. "Then he loved me and always wanted to protect me."

"Yes, that's very true," says Momma. "And I'm sure that it's still true. I think that wherever he is right now, he is missing you very much and suffering a great deal."

"I'm just so confused about some of the things that he told me about not needing any friend but him and how no one would ever be able to protect me as well as he can," I say. "Was he lying?"

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"I think that I will be able to have other friends here," I say. "And my family protects me very well."

"I don't believe that Jacob has ever lied to you," she says. "In fact I am sure that he believes everything that he has ever told you. Jacob comes from a very different culture than we do. His people think differently. They believe that they are a part of the land and they belong there. They do not imagine living anywhere else."

"But we can't do that," I say. "We have to keep moving because we never age. If we wanted to stay in one place forever then we would have to hide from the humans. And now that I'm here, I see why we don't want to do that. This is fun. Why can't Jacob understand that?"

"I think that Jacob is very mixed up right now," she says. "Because he imprinted on you he wants to do everything that he can to make sure that you are happy and safe. Normally, when the wolves imprint, they imprint on another Native American who already is a part of the culture. They have no desire to leave the land either. And their families willingly give there daughter over to the care of the wolf."

"Is that why Claire's parents let her go live with Sam and Emily?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "But Claire's mother is also Emily's sister and her parents just live over on the Makah reservation. They can see her anytime that they want."

"Is she really going to marry Quil when she grows up?" I ask.

"Probably," she answers. "But I don't think that anyone is talking about that yet. Claire is still too young."

"I am younger than Claire," I say.

"In one way you are," she says. "But in another way you are older."

"That is very confusing too," I say.

"It will be less confusing as time goes by," she says. "At some point you will reach the same age, physically anyway, as the rest of us and then you will stay the same forever, just like us."

"But until then," I say. "I am still growing right? I don't have to worry about marrying anyone."

"No," she says slowly. "Do you ever think about marrying Jacob?"

"Oh no," I say. "I don't think about him _that _way. He's like my big brother, kind of. And we have lots of fun together. I really miss him now that he isn't here. But there's lots of other stuff that I want to do too. I mean, Claire and Emily don't do _everything _with Quil and Sam."

"No," she says. "But like I said. Their lives are different from yours. Even if they had not been imprinted on, they probably would have finished school, married, and lived on the reservation for their whole lives anyway."

"I don't want to live on the reservation forever," I say. "I don't want to be the only white person there. It's not my land. I don't have a land. I have a family that moves. I think that's just as good, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she says. "I'm glad that you are happy here, but I don't think that you should forget about Jacob. When Jacob gets mad, he can say some very mean and hurtful things. But then he is sorry later. And let me tell you a secret about men."

"What is it?" I whisper.

"Men always think that they know what's best for the women they love," she whispers back. "And then they say and do really stupid things. That's the truth."

"Could Jacob be doing a stupid thing right now?" I ask.

"Knowing Jacob," she says. "I would say probably yes. But if you think about it, Daddy has done some stupid things too."

"Like leaving you?" I ask.

"That was probably the most stupid," she agrees.

"So then I shouldn't be so mad at Jacob because he said something mean when I was born and because he hasn't come here yet," I say.

"That's the way that I see it," she says. "One of the things that you need to learn in life is that when other people hurt or disappoint you, then you have to forgive them."

"Like you forgave Daddy?" I ask.

"Yes, just like that," she says, "There's an old saying that says that you only truly love someone if you can forgive them."

"Momma, tell me the truth," I say. "Do you really think that Jacob is going to come here to see me?"

"I honestly don't know," she sighs. "And that is the truth."

**Author's note: Before "Team Jacob" decides to classify me as a Jacob-hater, you all need to read what I have to say about Jacob's side of the story (starting in Chapter 10). The books left the Jacob and Renesmee's future as something more indefinite than the movie. **

**At the end of the movie, Alice has a vision (that Edward also sees) of Jacob and Renesmee together as adults. The problem with that vision is that it is well established in the books that Alice CANNOT see either Jacob or Renesmee's future. They are blind spots for her. This leaves them BOTH wide open to futures with different partners.**

**This story will take some time to tell, with lots of angst, pain, guilt, misunderstanding, happiness, and joy on all sides. And as a writer, I am a sucker for a happy ending. **

**But who says that anybody has to be the villain? Sometimes it is life's circumstances and that nebulous thing we call fate that is the villain that defeats our hopes and dreams.**

**I enjoy reviews of all kinds. Just try to be nice when you are criticizing me! No need to hate on the story because you love Jacob.**


	9. Reflection

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_**Author's note: This chapter finally justifies the T rating for the story. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 9: Reflection **

We all look up after Bella comes out of Renesmee's room, wondering how their talk went. It is hard to blame Esme for slipping up on the "don't bash the wolf" edict that Carlisle had laid down. On the one hand, it is better if we don't trash talk him in front of my daughter. If Jacob does show up we don't want to get into any conflict with him over "poisoned" minds.

On the other hand, Esme was tied up in knots by the whole "why do vampires do what humans do to make babies when they can't make babies question." Personally, I think that we should just use the word "sex" or "lovemaking" if it sounds better to the female sensibilities. At any rate, with Renesmee's accelerated growth, who knows when the hormones will kick in and we start to have to worry about it for real?

"How did it go?" asks Rosalie.

"I think that it's okay," she says. "She is still at a age where she thinks that everything is black and white, you know, true or false. I tried to explain to her that Jacob never intentionally lied to her. He just has a different perception of reality than we do."

"Not to mention a selective memory," comments Rosalie. "Isn't that a trait of children?"

"Rose . . . " begins Carlisle. "What if she can hear you?"

"She's sound asleep," says Bella. "But Jacob has always had something of a selective memory. And he _does _have problems reading social cues sometimes."

"Yeah," says Emmett. "And you had the broken hand to prove it."

"Okay," says Carlisle. "Before this turns into another wolf bashing session, let's talk about Renesmee."

"What do you want to talk about?" asks Rosalie. "She knows the facts of life, sort of. She already knew the mechanics of baby making before. Now she knows that vampires do it too. Only we do it for fun."

"Aside from that," I say. "Why don't we put an end to the elliptical language and let her know that alone time can refer to sex, lovemaking, or spending quality time with your mate, no sex included."

"Speak for yourself, brother," says Emmett.

"Do I have to remind you who won the arm wrestling match seven years ago?" asks Bella.

"You better not try and employ that old selective memory trick, bro," says Jasper. "I hear that's a wolf thing."

Everyone, including Carlisle, can't help but laugh at the allusion to one of Jacob's favorite expressions. It seemed like every time we didn't understand something about him, he always called it a wolf thing. That is until even Bella got tired of it and said one time that what he was talking about was a human thing. I forget what it was, but the look on his face told us that she was right.

"So where does all of this leave us with Renesmee?" asks Rosalie.

Bella sighs.

"Poor Renesmee is as confused as ever," she says. "I wish that we knew more about the way the imprint affects the imprinted. I mean, we know what Jacob has told us. And we know how the Quileute women have reacted to the obsessive adoration and protection offered by their imprinters, but Renesmee isn't a Quileute."

"And she's surrounded by the adoration and protection of her vampire family," adds Rosalie.

"I don't know if that matters," she says. "I tried talking to Emily about it once, but she just said that she couldn't resist Sam's level of devotion. How can you not love someone who is present day and night loving and protecting you?"

"Renesmee seems to be questioning things like that," I comment.

"That's a part of it, yes," she says. "But there is also the component that she doesn't wish to spend the rest of her life living on the reservation. I tried to explain to her why Jacob didn't just pick up and follow us as so as he heard about the move. She doesn't feel the same ties to the land that he does. And she does not feel like a member of the tribe."

"How does she identify herself?" asks Carlisle.

"She looks in the mirror and sees a white girl," answers Bella. "She looks at her future and sees a never-aging immortal. She sees herself with us, playing the human game and continuously moving and seeing the world so that we can stay together.

"We've only been here for one day and she can understand why we didn't want to stay in Forks anymore hiding from the humans. And she likes having the family together."

"It makes sense that she would feel a greater connection to the coven than the tribe," replies Carlisle as he tries to analyze the situation. "She may not be a vampire, but she is closer to any of us than she is to them. She is Edward and Bella's biological child. Among the Quileutes she will always be the outsider."

"But among us," points out Jasper. "Jacob will always be the outsider. Edward, you've looked into his mind. Is imprinting anything like finding a mate?"

"It is and it isn't," I say. "And actually, I've seen inside all their minds. I know the common denominator of the imprinting phenomenon between five minds. It is that the imprinter literally becomes mentally attached to the imprinted. But the bond between mates is more powerful, since both parties literally change to become part of one another. But it is also a vampire-to-vampire thing. I was not truly Bella's mate until she was turned and could fully reciprocate my feelings."

"As a vampire hybrid," asks Esme. "Would it be possible for Renesmee to have a mate out there somewhere?"

"I would not say that it is impossible," replies Carlisle. "Neither Nahuel nor any of his sisters had mates, but they also never mingled with vampires other than family members. For obvious reasons, Joham kept them completely apart from our world. But now that the Volturi know of them and have decided to leave them in peace after eliminating Joham, we may never know. They have scattered."

"Carlisle, Sue asked us this when we said goodbye," I say. "But I forgot to ask you. Do you know if Renesmee will be able to have children based on your examination of Nahuel's sisters?"

"I couldn't tell," he says. "They have all of the necessary organs and body cycles, however without more sophisticated equipment, I couldn't learn if they. Had the correct genetic material. I would have needed to examine. Their ovaries for eggs and ideally extract one to examine its viability to produce an embryo with a human sperm."

"This is getting a little too graphic for me," says Emmett. "Why would Sue want to know this anyway?"

"Jacob is looked at by the tribe as a very strong breeder, so to speak, the strongest in his generation to carry the wolf gene," I say. "The tribe looks at Jacob's potential wife in terms of her fertility."

"This is why we should keep Renesmee away from the tribe," says Rosalie. "That is an invasion of privacy."

"Not to a Quileute or any other Native American concerned with passing on his heritage," says Esme. "As a Council Elder, Sue felt that it was her duty to ask us. I personally found that line of questions very offensive. And I am sure that Renesmee would be deeply embarrassed if she knew."

"Knew what?" asks Jasper. "That they were discussing her bloodlines as if she was a racehorse or something? If you ask me it's dehumanizing. The Indians that I knew never talked like that."

"The Native Americans, to put it properly, that you knew were not looking at the extinction of their race," says Alice.

"Like hell they weren't," he says. "There was a hell of a lot of slaughter out on the prairies. Of course they never considered intermarriage with the white man either, even if the white man had been willing. Although they did on occasion intermarry with the coloreds."

"African-Americans these days, Jazz," says Alice. "You're in the twenty-first century, remember? Can't you keep your terms straight?"

"None of this answers the original question of how of an effect that the imprinting has had on Renesmee," says Rosalie. "Does she want to go back to La Push to be with Jacob?"

"No," say Bella and Esme.

"She is very clear on that point," adds Bella. "She thinks that Jacob should move here. He has told her that it is his job to make her happy. And she will not be happy in La Push. However, she cannot be entirely happy here unless he is with her."

"It sounds to me like Jacob has a big problem," says Emmett.

"Bigger than you think," I say. "Sue told us that he has a duty to the tribe stay in La Push like his ancestors. And he has a tie to the land and the tribe that he cannot easily break. That's why it's not a good idea to get Renesmee's hopes up. He may not be able to break that tie."

"Can he imprint on someone else?" asks Emmett.

"We don't know," I say. "But I can guarantee that that has never happened in the past. Sue made it clear that this is an unprecedented situation."

"Well I for one and sick of talking about it," says Jasper. "I'm interested in a little, correct that, a lot of sex with my wife."

"Jasper!" says Esme shocked.

"Talk to Edward," he laughs. "He was the one who said that we should call a spade, a spade."

We all laugh. It is difficult to be annoyed with Emmett when he is being playful. But I think that we are all ready to put a stop to the endless discussion of Jacob and imprinting.

"I suggest that we put this whole matter on the back burner until we know what Jacob's plans are," says Carlisle as if he is reading _my _mind for once. "We have a lot of plans to make so that we can make the house livable once the final papers are signed. We need to continue to explore that town and make contact with the humans. Bella needs to keep practicing her human interaction skills. Let's carry on with our lives up here and put the past behind us."

"What if Jacob shows up?" asks Alice.

"I will prepare the cabin with the basic necessities," answers Esme. "It will make Renesmee happy and feel welcome. I think that we all prefer that he not live in the house. Besides, I am sure that when Charlie and Sue come up to visit they would feel more comfortable there. For the time being, we will plan to use it as a guest house."

"That's a good plan," says Carlisle in approval. "If Jacob shows up, I would prefer that our relations remain cordial. And if he contacts us, we can tell him that we are making accommodations for him on the property.

"It is necessary that we take the high road on this matter. If he knows that we are ready to make arrangements for him to live here with us, then it will hopefully derail any plans that he might make to try and take Renesmee away from us."

"And that won't be much different from the living arrangements that we had back in Forks," I agree. "In fact, he will actually be closer. I for one would be pleased if he came. If he sees how happy Renesmee is here, especially once she starts school, perhaps his imprinting will kick in and he will just let her be happy."

"I think that is the best that we can hope for right now," says Esme.

Since we are all in agreement on that, we each go off to our own rooms in pairs. I am grateful to finally have some time alone with my beautiful wife. And I have no intention of wasting it talking about Jacob and Renesmee. Looking into her eyes, I can see that she feels the same way.

"It's been too long," I say as I take her into my arms. "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too," she says sighing. "We had four days in the car, we spent last night with our brothers and sisters, and today we were out in the town. I'm ready for some alone."

"Well I'm ready for some lovemaking," I answer as I begin kissing her behind her ear, my hands entwining in her hair.

As I work my way around to her jaw, she is unbuttoning my shirt and sliding it off my shoulders. Her hands massaging my shoulders feel very pleasant. I take a moment to release my hands from her hair so that I can free her from her own shirt. Since it is a sweatshirt, I can't be bothered pulling it overhead to I simply rip it off and unhook her bra. Her mouth finds mine and she moans into it as my hands find their way to her breasts and then slide into her jeans.

I push my groin against hers, but find the denim between us to be an inconvenient barrier. It isn't long before we have both kicked off our shoes and jeans, and are lying on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. No matter how many times I make love to her, I can never fail to appreciate her beautiful body. And because she is no longer human, I can express my love with the full force of my passion with no fear of "breaking" her.

As a lover, I have found her to be insatiable, which of course is no burden to me. I spoke with my father about the nature of the physical love that we as vampires share with our mates. It is so intensely physical. He explained that he believes that this is the reason for the monogamy, which seems to be the hallmark of vampire male-female relationships. Who needs a variety of lovers when you have found your perfect other half?

And everything about Bella from her scent to her taste to the perfection of her curves under my hands increases my pleasure. I can feel her love in every touch and soft whisper. I never feel more complete than when we are joined as one. It is as though my arms were specifically designed to hold her. There has never been a moment of our intimate moments when I have ever felt weary or bored. In fact, the problem is the opposite. It is often difficult to stop.

Since my marriage to Bella, I have gained greater insight into what, at the time, felt like the intolerable passion that Emmett and Rosalie shared in their early years together. I can now understand now why they often were locked in their room for days at a time, only coming out to hunt when the grew thirsty. Bella and I never had that luxury because there was always Renesmee to care for, yet neither of us has ever begrudged her any of the time that we spent with her.

To this day, I am still in awe of our miracle child. Who knew that a bloodless, venom filled monster such as myself could plant the seed for such goodness and purity in my human wife? If we had known that conception was possible, would we have taken precautions against it? If we had, we would have missed the most precious gift of life that either of us could have given each other.

In her own way, Renesmee restored my faith in my own goodness. I had actually begun to believe that I was not the soulless demon that I believed myself to be for nearly a century. Bella's love for me had almost convinced me of that. But then, when she was pregnant through my carelessness, I was convinced that I was no more than an evil monster, destroying the only good and pure thing that had ever come into my vampire existence.

From the first moment that I heard her thoughts, I knew that it was a beautiful and perfect child that resided in her womb. I could feel the love in her heart for my very deserving wife and even for me, her completely unworthy father. The moment that I saw her curled up inside of Bella, I knew her.

And as I lifted her out and looked into her chocolate brown eyes, I knew that she was more Bella than me. And if I was capable of sharing in the creation of such a perfect being, then perhaps my own soul was not a lost cause.

I was grateful to Rosalie, who had fought so hard to insure that Renesmee would come to be. And when I knew that she was safe in her care, I could turn my attention to the other perfect being in my life.

As she once dreamed, I knew that if I failed, I would always have that part of her in my daughter. But I was determined not to fail. For the failure would not only be my loss, but my daughter's loss as well. We both needed to Bella to be complete.

I recall those hours during the transformation when Bella was so still that I could not believe that she was changing. I had vivid memories of the agony and screaming that had marked Esme's, Rosalie's, and Emmett's transformation. And I could remember with perfect clarity the burning of the venom throughout my veins and the desperation with which I begged Carlisle to kill me, to end it anyway possible.

And yet there lay Bella in perfect stillness. She was so still and quiet that it was safe to hold my daughter in my arms. For hours I sat gazing with wonder at her dear face while praying that her mother would open her eyes to see her. And every moment that I held this beautiful angel in my arms, Jacob stood as a sentinel by the door, always on the alert for some nonexistent danger that might give him to excuse he was looking for to snatch her from me.

The disagreements between him and Rosalie were epic, each claiming the status of savior to the child. I refused to take sides. My entire focus was on my wife and child. Carlisle tried to mediate, at times calling in Jasper to cool the seething emotions in the room. Quiet Esme was disturbed by the conflict. I could read the secret longing in her mind to have time to hold the child herself. When her yearning became so great that it penetrated my heart, I asked Carlisle to give her Renesmee to hold.

The infant was too young to state her preferences. She was content in the arms of anyone. If she desired any one person over all the others, it was her mother. How many times did she reach up her little hand and show the only pictures that she had of her and the only words that she had ever heard her speak.

"Renesmee, so beautiful."

Those were her last human words before her heart stopped beating. And when it did, Jacob gave up and left me to the task of getting it to pump again, to push the venom through her body to heal and transform. And when the transformation was complete, I finally began to believe as Carlisle did. There was a God and perhaps a place in heaven, for vampires.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asks me, when she realizes that I am caught in some contemplation.

I notice that I have stopped even the gentle caresses of her silky body and am completely still. Her body is curled around mine. I sense that her hunger has not yet been sated. I am falling down in my husbandly duties.

"I am thinking of how beautiful and perfect you are," I reply. "I am thinking of the wonderful moments that we have shared making love together. I am remembering your pregnancy and Renesmee's birth."

"What was it like?" she asks. "What was it like when you finally broke through the embryonic sac and could see her?"

"I can only describe it looking at a little piece of heaven that had somehow managed to find its way down to earth," I reply. "Bringing with it it's own little angel."

"Could you hear what she was thinking?" she asks.

"Momma," I say quietly. "Her first thought was of you."

"My final thought was of her," she replies. "Are you sorry that it wasn't of you?"

"No," I say. "I can't be jealous of my daughter. It was your faith, determination, and sacrifice that brought her to me. You believed when I didn't. You gave her life when I would have killed her. She deserves that that first place in your heart more than I do."

"I don't believe that it is a matter of first or second place," she answers. "You each have your own place. I love you in a way that I will never love anyone else. But the same token, no one will ever replace Renesmee. It is as simple as that."

"Yes," I reply. "That perfectly describes the way that I feel about you and her."

"Hmm," she murmurs and leans over me to fully take my mouth in hers, her long brown hair spilling over my body.

The time for words, the time for thoughts is over. It is time to try and satisfy the hunger for each other that never ceases and is never fully sated. I turn her over so that her body is beneath mine and prepare to take her again. She smiles in triumph and opens herself to receive me. As we move together towards our final release, only one word fills my consciousness.

Perfection.


	10. Irreconcilable Differences

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 10: Irreconcilable Differences**

Without Renesmee, my life feels like an empty space of time between sunrise and sunset. The days pass slowly and the nights pass even more slowly. There is no reason to get out of bed in the morning. I close my eyes and I can imagine every tiny feature of her face. I see her bronze curls, big brown eyes, and glowing pink complexion.

But when I open my eyes, the image vanishes. I cannot sleep at night because that is when the fear sets in. It is an awful fear that tells me that something terrible may be happening to her and I am not there to protect her. I am afraid that she is not happy. Suppose that she is just as miserable without me as I am without her? What lies are they telling her to try to make her forget me?

Quil, Paul, and Jared have all been begging me to go to Whitehorse. They understand my misery completely and it hurts them to feel my pain. But I know that if I go, that they will not let me bring her back. They will say that she is Cullen and belongs to the coven. They will say that she is half-vampire and that means that she must be with them.

The only imprinted wolf who has not spoken to me is Sam. I am not exactly sure of why this is. Of course, he is on the Council. He was a part of the discussion that has put me in this quandary. I wonder how much of a voice that he had in the decision. I know that he has never forgiven the Cullens for returning to Forks and ruining his relationship with Leah. I doubt that he ever will.

It really is a pretty weird thing. I mean Sam is totally in love with Emily and they have two great kids. But he still feels something for Leah. And he feels really bad that he screwed up her life. It helped Leah when she joined my pack because she didn't have to live in his head anymore. She even joked that the imprinting things that she had to deal with my pack were both imprinting on kids. I know from experience that it's a very different thing.

Ever since the Cullens left, no one in my pack has phased. None of them want to deal with my thoughts, and I am spending most of my time as a wolf. I can't stand living with my father anymore so there's no place for me to go as a human. It's just easier to be a wolf, even if I can't escape my human feelings.

Once the Cullens were gone, once and for all, the Council threw a huge party. Sue told the story of how Edward, Bella, Esme, and Renesmee had come to say goodbye to Charlie. She said Edward assured her that they wouldn't come back to Forks for at least one hundred years, if ever. The whole never-aging, immortal thing makes it difficult to risk living anywhere twice if there could be anyone who would remember you.

The next night, the Council called me to a private meeting, only the Council members and me. My Dad did all of the talking as chief and told me that there was no justification for my pack or anyone else to follow the Cullens to bring Renesmee back to La Push. If I wanted to, I could follow them to Whitehorse and live there, but they wanted no more contact between the tribe and the Cullens.

"But Sue, won't you be going to Whitehorse with Charlie to visit?" I asked.

"When I visit with Charlie," she replied. "I go as Charlie's wife, not as a tribe member."

"Jacob," said Dad. "There is more to this than just not wanting to get into a conflict over the custody of a child. We all know that Renesmee is half-vampire. And we know that the wolf gene takes over when there are vampires in the area. What we don't know is if a half-vampire would be enough to continue to keep our children phasing.

"We presently have seventeen wolves in the village. We are hoping that all of the them, with the exception of two or three will stop phasing now that the threat is gone, and then be able to live normal, human lives."

"So you don't want Renesmee here because you want most of the wolves to be free of phasing?" I asked. "Which two or three do you want to continue?"

"We are looking at the direct descendants of the last three wolves," he said. "They are Sam, Quil, and you. No one else."

"And why do you say two or three?" I asked suspiciously.

"We will not force you to stay here against your will," he says. "Sam and Quil are committed to living their lives on the reservation and taking care of our people. It would be our first choice that you do the same. However, we will not make it our will."

I looked at Sue.

"You want this because of Leah, don't you?" I asked.

"I want this for both Leah and Seth," she said. "And there isn't one parent of a wolf out there that does not want the same for their own children. The time of the invasion of the Volturi caused many of our children to phase who were only tenuously connected by blood. Some of them were as young as twelve."

"Why didn't you tell the youngest ones to stop phasing then?" I asked.

"As long as the Cullens were in the area, there was always risk of more coming," explained my father. "They have friends who might visit, and a large coven of relatives up in Alaska. And there is no guarantee that their enemies won't return. Let them move away in peace and become someone else's problem."

"They were never a problem for me," I said through gritted teeth.

"Then, you have a very short memory, son," he answered. "The Cullens caused you great pain when Edward Cullen and Bella fell in love. And even now, who is the source of your pain? The Cullens. I know that you think that I am betraying you. It saddens me very much to see you suffer in this manner. Stay with us and try and forget the girl."

"Jacob," said Quil. "You're my brother, but I also understand how you feel about Renesmee. I'm not sure how I would feel if Claire's parents decided to take her and move away. But it's a choice that I will never have to make. Considering the fact that you are the strongest Alpha wolf by bloodlines and the direct heir to chief of the tribe, you still have a responsibility to us."

"So you don't think that I should go," I said bitterly. "And I thought that you were my best friend. I thought that you would help me to uphold the imprinting."

"Jacob," he said. "If Renesmee was in any danger, I would be at your side to protect her. You know that I would. But we don't know if she is in any danger now. And no offense bro, but you haven't made any effort to keep in touch with her."

"Just tell me the truth," I say, his accusation stinging. "Do you think that I should go?"

"I don't think that you should go, and I don't want you to go," he answered. "But Sam and I know how you feel about Renesmee. In fact, I don't see how you have managed to stay away from her for this long. But Sam and I convinced the Council to give you the choice to stay or go."

"You were ready to try and force me to stay?" I asked looking at my father.

"You have an obligation and responsibility to the tribe," he answered serenely. "It runs in your blood as surely as it runs in mine. I don't know anything about how imprinting affects your mind or your emotions. But I have always dreamed that one day, I would pass on the heritage that the Black has to you to keep for future generations.

"I dreamed that one day you would be chief in my place. You threw it all away when you declined the position of Alpha when Sam offered to you not once, but twice.

"If you will stay among us as one of the three brother wolves, he will offer you the positions of Alpha and chief one more time. Unlike you, Sam has the best interests of the tribe at heart. Unfortunately there are those among us who view you as the rightful chief anyway."

"Why do you say unfortunately?" I asked.

"Because Sam has been fulfilling these duties that you have chosen to ignore for over eight years now," he replies. "You have chosen to refuse your patrimony and as a father I am rightfully disappointed. However, Sam has worked hard and earned the position in his own right. It is a pity that the more traditional among us fail to recognize this."

"What do you have to say about this, Sam?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"The choice is yours," he replied. "My first loyalty is to the tribe. If I need to serve as chief, I will. If I need to step aside, I will. My identity is bound up fully in the needs of the tribe."

Great, I thought at the time, another martyr for the cause. First he falls under the ownership of Emily and now the tribe. I looked at Quil, sitting across the fire from me so calmly. He was set on his future too. He had his Claire, his duty to the tribe to fulfill, and he had his job. What else did he need?

And then there was me, the loser. As usual, Jacob Black is the loser. First he loses the girl he loves to a cold-blooded one, a vampire. Then he gives up his pack to protect her when she becomes pregnant with _his _child. The scales of justice finally tip back when he imprints on her child and now _they _take her away. I fully expected the betrayal by the Cullens. I could not believe that I was being betrayed by my own father.

Even if by some miracle, I can get Renesmee away from her family, the tribe doesn't want to allow her on our land. And it's all because she _might _have enough vampire in her to keep the wolves phasing. But none of them are kids anymore. They all graduated high school and are going to college or have gotten jobs, of course, not me, the loser.

I finished high school, just barely. College wasn't ever going to be my gig, wolf or no wolf. I can work with my hands. For a couple of years Dad kept bugging me to go to some kind of a trade school. Learn how to fix appliances, he said. Do you know how much those guys make an hour? But how could I do that and protect Renesmee when she didn't even live on the reservation.

I couldn't help it. I had to be close to her. Suppose those creepy Volturi came back to get her? Or what about those sick dudes from Transylvania or wherever they came from? Being part of a vampire put her in constant danger from those crazy leeches who weren't on the "vegetarian" diet. Who knew when some nomad would come along and think of her as a tasty snack? The whole mess with Bella and the newborns started with just that situation.

But I can see that Dad and Sue are dead set against Renesmee ever living here on Quileute land. Quil and Sam are ready to take one for the home team, but not Jacob the loser. Now they have put me in the ultimate no win situation. I never in my life thought that I would ever live anywhere else but La Push.

Even when I was dreaming about marrying Bella, the plan was always that we would live here on the Rez. I could see it all. We could live in my Dad's house and have a couple of kids. I could go out and do my wolf thing and she could take care of things at home the way that Emily, Kim, and Rachel do for their men. Why the hell couldn't I have just imprinted on her?

I know that if I had imprinted, that she would never have gone back to Edward. She would never have been able to resist all the love, loyalty, devotion, and protection that I could have given her. What did he give her except for death and near death? And in the end, he killed her, turned her into one of them.

The only good and beautiful thing to come out of that whole mess was Renesmee. And she made it all worthwhile. She was the light at the end of my long, dark tunnel. If they had only waited a few more months, she wouldn't have gone with them. She would have stayed with me. She would have been old enough to fully understand the nature of the imprinting. And we could have lived in my father's house, just as I had planned with Bella.

I know that I should have called the days ago to see if they had all arrived safely. But I know that they must have. If there was any problem then I am sure that they would have called Charlie and Sue would have told us. Then there might have been more celebrations when it was discovered that the Cullens were never coming back. So why don't I call anyway?

I suppose that deep down it's because I know that eight mature vampires are more than capable of taking care of one hybrid vampire child. Any one of them would die to protect her, the same way that I would. There is any aching in the part of my chest where my heart is. Perhaps it is because my heart is hundreds of miles away in the Yukon.

I wonder if she's missing me the way that I am missing her. I could call, but that might hurt more. What if she isn't missing me at all? What if this separation means that my imprint will break its hold on her if I am not there to give her my devotion every minute of the day? She is so far away, but I can still feel the pull northward.

There is a part of my heart that is being tugged in the direction of northern Canada. There is a part of me that is eager to phase and run towards her. I know that I wouldn't even need a map or roads. All I would need to do is follow the gravitational force that is she.

But hers is not the only force that is pulling at me. It is as if the very land under my feet will not let me go. For hundreds of years, my people, the Quileutes, have lived here. I am the great-grandson of Ephraim Black and the blood of my ancestor Taha Aki runs in my veins. It calls me to remain to protect the earth, which he protected.

The cold ones are gone, but the white men remain. We are still quarreling with them over precious acres of land, tiny packages that our ancestors died to protect. Our sacred earth is paved over for a parking lot for the National Park of a nation that excludes us. At least the Cullens always respected our boundaries. These other men are chipping away at our homeland by inches and feet. How much will be left for us?

Can I truly leave my tribe, my extended family, behind to follow a half-vampire? Do I have it in me to renounce my heritage to become one of them, a wanderer through space and time with no roots? La Push is more than my home. It is my parent. I do not own this land the way the white man owns his land. I am a part of it.

And that is something that the Cullens can never understand. They were all white men and women before they were vampires. To them, a piece of land was something that you bought and then sold to the highest bidder. They don't nurture it and tend to it as if it was a deep part of them. They see land in terms of dollars and cents.

They see its value in the things that it can give them. They have been so careless with the land that is presently in their grasp that they need to create these "national parks" to prevent its complete destruction. If they didn't set aside this land, then it would all be destroyed.

Over the last week since the Cullens left and took my heart and soul with them, I have been thinking a great deal about my identity. I remember early on, when I first learned of imprinting how I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't happen to me. I didn't want to be owned by anyone else. But it was Leah who showed me how false that was.

Bella owned me as surely as Kim or Emily hold their men. She didn't want that ownership. How many times did she tell me that she didn't feel _that _way about me? But I never listened. Leah was right then. If I could have imprinted then I would have forgotten about Bella and moved on. I even tried to go out and imprint on someone else. But it didn't work.

Imprinting on Renesmee did break the tie with Bella. It broke it so well that I could even stand to be in the presence of her and her husband as they showed their deep affection for one another. At one time, it would have tormented me to see their loving little gestures. Now I just didn't care. I had my own girl, the most perfect little girl that was ever born.

When she was a baby, I could hold her for hours, just gazing into those rich, brown eyes, those "Bella eyes." It didn't matter if she was awake or asleep, as long as I held her, I knew that she was safe. I was even able to hold those bottles filled with human (donated) blood to feed her. When Bella had drunk blood straight from a cup it almost made me sick. It was different when it was Renesmee.

I suffered with them when they thought that she would age so quickly that she would die as a teenager. I cherished every second of the times that swiftly passed through those four months, which equaled about four years. Every little stepping-stone was a miracle. I could watch her play for hours. I could play with her for hours when they would let me.

Despite the fact that I belonged to her, they never fully accepted that. They each wanted their own time. Blondie was the worst. I knew that when Bella was pregnant, she was only helping her to get her hands on the baby. It would have been a lot easier if she had pissed Bella off the way she pissed me off when she demanded her time with her.

Esme was easier to take. She never demanded. That's just not her way. But I knew that she had actually lost a child when she was human. And I knew that she had killed herself when her baby died. The light in her face when she held Renesmee was a sight to behold.

And we were all psyched when we met the big guy from the Amazon and he told us that he was 150 years old. He looked strong and healthy. So were his sisters. Renesmee had a long future ahead of her. It looked like she had forever. And as long as I kept phasing, I had it too. It was the first time that I actually had something to like about being a wolf.

I know that I should have gone right back to high school and finished after the Volturi left. But I couldn't stay away from her when she was growing so quickly. And when I did finish, it was with a GED. I hated doing the course work on my own. But then, when Renesmee offered to help me with my math, I realized that I better just suck it up and be done with it.

So now they take her away and what kind of a life is she really going to have with them? She's never going to have a real place to call her own. How many times is she going to have to go through high school? Oh, yeah, sometimes they will let her go to college, like they all did. But how many times will she do that? Edward went to medical school twice.

And thanks to his eternal youth, his frozen state of living death, he can't even practice medicine. Who wants a seventeen-year old doctor? Of course if he tamed his hair, he could probably pass himself off as Doogie Howser, so instead, he gets to take high school biology every five years or so. How can he say that he really loves his daughter if he expects her to spend her life doing _that?_

That's no life for anyone. But what can I do about it? Right now, I feel like I have lost everything. The Cullens took Renesmee away because they didn't understand. And now the Council is taking my home away, because they don't understand. It won't be long now before Renesmee is full-grown, is old enough to choose for herself.

I still remember that from seven years ago. Alice and Jasper desert the family like rats from a sinking ship and all Carlisle has to say about it, is that it's their free will to leave. Well, if they got to have a free will, then Renesmee gets to have one too. No matter what Edward, Blondie, or anyone else in the coven says, I know that Carlisle will give her the choice.

And wouldn't it be great, if when Renesmee is full grown, she will be older and more mature than her seventeen-year old father?

**Author's Note: Observations about the interaction of Native American culture and White culture in Twilight come from book of essays entitled **_**Twilight and History.**_


	11. Choices

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 11: Choices**

I decide to visit Sam, the one imprinted wolf that I have not spoken with directly. Even at the Council meetings, he doesn't say a lot. He still needs to live down his father's irresponsible behavior. Nobody even knows if his father is dead or alive. That's why he can't take the Council position that is his birth rite. If his Dad is still alive, technically, the spot is his.

I know that's why my Dad is so pissed that I'm giving them a hard time about taking over the Alpha role. If I leave La Push, then when he dies, his council spot is mine, whether I choose to take it or not. Maybe if Paul wasn't such a jerk then they could give it to him because he's married to Rachel, who is the older twin. But more likely, it would pass to their son when I died. It's hard to picture things then.

If things were the way that my father wanted, one day the Council Elders would be Sam, Seth, Quil, and me. But since I don't necessarily plan on doing things my Dad's way, it might not happen. And if they won't allow me to live with Renesmee here in La Push, it's never going to happen. I think.

It's Saturday afternoon and seven days since the Cullens left Forks. I am just about out of my mind with worry about Renesmee, but I can't do anything about it until I talk to Sam. I go out to his place, where Emily is in the yard working on her garden while their two little boys, Levi and Joseph, are running around.

"Hey, Emily," I say. "How is it going?"

"Jacob! Uncle Jacob!" Levi screams, and the next thing I know I have two rug rats crawling all over me.

"I'm doing well," she answers with a concerned look on her face. "The question is, how are _you _doing?"

One thing about Emily is that since she was the first imprint and the imprint of the Alpha wolf, she has always been the "pack mom." Even when my pack spilt off, she still fed us and took care of us like we were one big happy family. She knows that I've been living in hell since Renesmee left.

"I'm hanging in there," I grimace. "Just barely."

"It won't be long now," she sighs.

"Long before what?" I ask.

"Long before you can't stand it anymore and go after her," she says. "Sam is surprised that you've had the strength to last this long without seeing her."

"Speaking of Sam, is he around?" I ask.

"He's in the house," she replies. "He's alone, so you can talk privately. I'll keep the boys out here."

"Thanks Emily," I say as I peel Joseph off my right leg. "Have I ever told you what a great person you are?"

"Many times," she smiles. "But I never get tired of hearing it."

Emily is a doll. I didn't know her before Sam imprinted on her and I have to wonder if she was always so happy and contented. She's so different from Leah that I can't help but think that Sam had a happy escape from that harpy. Of course, when Leah was Sam's girlfriend she had been a happy person too. She was even kind of funny before she became so bitter.

Since Renesmee left, Leah has refused to come anywhere near me. The subject of imprinting is a very sensitive one for her to begin with. It's no wonder that she doesn't want to see me suffering over my girl (even if she's still just a kid). As I walk into the kitchen, I notice that Sam has a couple of maps on the table and some official looking letters.

"What's up, Sam?" I say.

"I'm still trying to figure out how we can resolve this boundary thing with the government," he says. "It was a hell of a lot easier dealing with Carlisle and the Cullens. All it took was a few words and a handshake. I wish that I had a degree in contract law so that I could decipher what all this stuff is saying."

"Maybe we need to send someone in the tribe to law school," I suggest.

"Maybe if we didn't need to have all the boys still phasing, we could," he retorts.

"So send a girl," I shoot back. "Most of our girls are better students than the guys anyway."

"Jacob . . . " he threatens.

"Okay, Sam," I say. "I get it. You're pissed at me too. But I really would like to talk about this with you."

He sighs.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he replies. "I am probably going to tell you the same thing that Paul Jared, and Quil have said. The situation that you are in really sucks. There is no way that you can have both of the things that are pulling at you."

"What would you do if it was your choice?" I ask.

"I don't know," he says. "And I can't even imagine it."

"Yeah, I know," I say angrily. "No one can imagine it. Because _I'm _the one stuck in it. If there was anyone in the pack who was going to get stuck in it, it was going to be me. Why? Because I'm the big loser!"

Sam listens to my tantrum quietly and then gives me the chance to settle down. I'm sure that he doesn't want me phasing in his house and trashing the place.

"Jacob," he says calmly. "You are not a loser. What makes you say that?"

"Maybe it's because I fell in love with the wrong girl," I reply. "Then I imprinted on the wrong girl. I barely graduated from high school. I don't have any kind of job or career. My father is royally pissed at me because I don't want it be an Alpha or a chief. In fact, he's so all about the tribe that he doesn't care that I don't have a job.

"I don't even know where I belong. And whenever I try to talk to someone they always say that they can't understand. Sam, please, can't you just _try _to understand?"

"Well, I can't understand your situation," he says. "But when you explain it like that, I can see why you think that you're a loser."

"Finally, we agree on something!" I say as I plop down into a chair. "We agree that I'm a loser."

"No," he replies patiently. "We agree that _you _think you're a loser. I don't and neither does anyone else. If we thought you were a loser then we would just tell you to go to Canada and have a nice life. You wouldn't have so many people begging you to stay here in La Push."

"That's just because of my almighty wolf genes," I scoff. "Everyone knows that you're the better leader."

He looks thoughtfully at me.

"Okay," he says. "I'll give you that one. But if you really tried, I think that you would be a better leader than me."

"You're just saying that in case I decide to take up the Council's offer," I say.

"No, I'm saying it because it's true," he says. "Look, I've been staring at these letters and documents for three days and can't make any sense of them. You take one glance and don't even try to read them. You just say that we should send one of our kids off to law school. I never thought of that."

"I don't get it," I say. "I didn't even try to solve the problem. I just foisted it off on someone else."

"No," he says. "You recognized that you couldn't solve the problem on your own. Instead, you came up with a long-term solution. We send one of our kids to law school. Now granted, I gave you a snarky answer, but then you came back with a very good answer. We have some girls who are about ready to graduate college. Maybe one of them could go to law school."

"I still don't get how that makes me a better leader than you," I say.

"Jacob, you are a much smarter guy than you give yourself credit for," he says. "The guys in your pack really admire your leadership style. It's different from mine. I don't take the long view. I look at the immediate situation and want to fix it now.

"Because you think long term, you take longer to make your decisions. But you think strategically. Besides, you actually have given me a very good idea for the short term. We need to find a lawyer who can translate this stuff into English."

"You are a pretty darn good strategist yourself," I reply. "In a crunch situation where decisions have to be made quickly, I'd follow you over me any day of the week."

"But most of the decisions that face the Council can't be made quickly," he says. "They need to be looked at over time and with an eye to the future. The white men are going to continue to encroach on our lands until there is nothing left. But that's not a fight we can win by phasing and chasing them off. We need lawyers and people who can read this . . . crap!"

He points to the pile of papers on the table.

"And Jacob, man, I know that you feel something for the tribe and the land," he says. "If you didn't, you would have taken off a week ago. It's not the Cullens or the Council who are tearing you apart. It's your love for the Quileute people and land and the fact that you imprinted on a girl who is not one of our people. And I know this because I imprinted on Emily. I've been there, man."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"If I were you," he says. "And someone took Emily hundreds of miles away from me, I would move heaven and earth to get back to her. In fact, if the Council told me that I couldn't bring her back, I would just say 'screw you' and take off."

"So are you saying that I don't love Renesmee as much as you love Emily?"

"No," he replies. "I'm saying that you have a deeper feeling for the tribe and the land than I do. You were right seven years ago when you said that the great-grandson of Ephraim Black wasn't born to bow down to the will of Levi Uley's great-grandson. It was just another one of those examples where, rather than looking at the long term, I was looking at the short term.

"But look at the difference in our fathers, Jake. Your father has stayed on the Rez and taken care of the tribe his whole life. My father took off when I was a kid and nobody knows where the hell he is. And I'm willing to bet that Embry is my half-brother too. But those are the things that matter when you are talking about dedication to the tribe.

"Your loyalty to the Quileutes runs in your veins. I'm the real loser here. I'm the son of a deserter and the great-grandson of a beta. Maybe that's why I try so hard. I'm trying to make up for those defects of character that are bred into me. In my situation, there's no question. I would give up the tribe and go after the girl. Now you may do that in the end, but you'll torture yourself over it first."

I look at him in amazement. In my mind, Sam has always been the perfect Quileute Alpha wolf and chief. I've always felt like the second-rate, miserable excuse for both.

"So why were you so pissed off when I came in?" I ask.

"Because I'm not you," he says. "It's not that I envy you the decision that you have to make. It's that I envy the way that you are handling your dilemma. I can't imagine that any man has ever faced such a difficult choice before. The same genes that made you Alpha wolf in the first place are pulling you in opposite directions. You were born to be an Alpha and you were born to imprint. But you won't be able to have it both ways."

"I could if the tribe would let me bring Renesmee back here," I say. "She's too young now, I can see that. I was really counting on her being a full grown adult on her seventh birthday. I guess that I was being to literal about what the big, Brazilian dude was saying about reaching full maturity. But I know that when she is a woman and can make the choice for herself, she will choose me."

"You are probably right," he says. "But the Council has decided that Renesmee will not be permitted to live on Quileute land. I don't see that changing."

"It's Dad and Sue," I say. "Isn't it? Dad wants me to marry a Quileute and Sue wants Seth and Leah to have normal human lives."

"Don't be so hard on Sue," he says. "It's not just about her kids. It's about Charlie. She doesn't think that he can handle spending the next thirty or forty years watching Renesmee never age. It's a level of weirdness that even Charlie can't handle."

"But that still deadlocks the question," I say. "If you and Quil vote on my side."

Sam looks very uncomfortable.

"Uh, Jacob," he says. "Quil and I decided to abstain. We both recognized what was best for the tribe, and that's that you take over as Alpha of the three-man pack and become chief when your father dies. And as imprinted wolves ourselves, we couldn't vote to ban your imprint from the land. But looking at it from the tribe's perspective, we couldn't take a chance on bringing her back. We wimped out. Sorry."

"Both you and Quil?" I say surprised. "He's my best friend!"

"Jake, what were we supposed to do?" he says. "I mean, do you know what Sue put Edward and Esme through when they came t say goodbye?"

"What?" I ask in a clipped voice.

"She had the nerve to ask if, as a vampire-human hybrid, Renesmee was even capable of having children, you know, like she was a mule or something," he says. "She's lucky that Edward didn't rip her head off. I certainly would have."

"So is that what Quil was getting at when he was talking about bloodlines at the meeting?" I ask.

"He just about crawled under the table when she told us the first time around," he answers.

I can see that.

"Look, Billy and Sue were grasping at straws at that point," he says. "They were scared to death that you were just going to take off when they said no. They both want you to give up on her, stay here, and marry a Quileute, or at least another Native American."

"And I suppose that is why they put the Alpha/chief offer on the table," I say. "Thanks, bro."

"Look at from my point of view," he says. "If you leave and I end up in charge, I'm always going to be the second choice. And every time that I screw up, they are all going to say that if you were here you would have done it right. Do you think that I want to live under that cloud forever? And then in the next generation, who follows me? Not my Levi, but probably Paul and Rachel's son Ephraim."

"Yeah, well now I see why Dad insisted on the name," I say. "Rachel hates it."

"So does Paul," he says. "But Billy is hedging his bets. The bloodlines for Ephraim are stronger than those for Levi. Ephraim has the gene on both sides, and Rachel comes from the strongest line. Levi only has it on one side. Funny thing is that Leah has a stronger line. You would have thought that I would have imprinted on her."

"But she has that weirdo wolf gene, remember?" I ask. "She asked Carlisle a few years ago to check on her chromosomes and sure a hell there were twenty-four pairs, just like us guys."

"I wonder about the girls who were imprinted on," he says.

"Leah talked Kim and Rachel into giving him a blood sample," I say. "They have twenty-three pairs, just like normal humans."

"Poor Leah," he says. "I wonder if she could imprint on some guy."

"If she hasn't by now, she probably won't," I say. "We have plenty of little wolf pups out there now to carry on the line, and plenty more when the other guys marry and have kids. Maybe she could just do things the old-fashioned way and fall in love and get married. I sure wish that I could."

"You do?" he asks in shock. "Man Jacob, what is your problem? You're the one whose genes must be totally screwed up."

"What do you mean?"

"Jacob," he says. "I think that your imprint gene is at war with your Quileute gene that makes you chief and Alpha. I would _never _say that I wish I could fall in love with someone else. I've been there man. I was in love with Leah and imprinting on Emily overrode it. The question for you is, which one is going to win?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" I ask.

Sam is very quiet for a long time. He is staring at the pile of papers on the table while he seems to be having some kind of a inner struggle.

"Look, I'll make you this offer," he says. "If you want, I'll talk to Quil and we'll see if we can talk Billy and Sue into a compromise."

"What would that be?" I ask.

"You are always going to be miserable as long as you avoid seeing Renesmee," he says. "You will always wonder what could have been. And I can see that you can't leave right now because you are afraid that it will be a final decision. You are afraid that if you leave, you could end up being totally miserable away from La Push. And it would have to be the final decision. Billy and Sue are trying to force you into this. But, how about this?

"You go up to Whitehorse, not just to see how you feel about Renesmee, but how you feel about the Quileutes. If you are comfortable living apart from the tribe, then maybe you should stay with her. Maybe it's not your gig after all. If you realize that you can't live without her, then you should also stay with her. But if you can't live without the tribe, if the pull back to La Push is stronger than the pull towards her, then you can still come home."

"Right now it feels like the pull is equal between the two," I say. "I feel like I can't move."

"Well, that's how you feel because you're here," he says. "Maybe you will feel differently if you're there."

"I don't know," I say. "What if I get there and feel the same way."

"Take a year," he says. "Live apart from the tribe for a year. In a year, she'll have to be fully mature and you will have your answer about whether or not she will want to marry you. The way that Carlisle is, I'm sure that he will give her the choice. He's the coven leader. Bella and Edward can't say anything about it. But if you marry her, you can't come back here."

"You'll give me a year?" I say. "What will you do?"

"What I've been doing," he says.

"I can't believe that you're willing to do this for me," I say.

"This isn't about you, Jacob," he says seriously. "It's about the tribe. And maybe it's a test of my own. Maybe I want to know if I am really supposed to be chief."

"I'll think about it," I say. "You can talk to Quil about it but don't say anything to Sue and Billy. I don't need to catch any more crap from him."

"Okay, Jake," he says. "Take your time. This is a big decision. But if you don't take some action soon, you're going to go crazy."

On that point, I agree. As I leave the house, I run past Emily and the boys. As soon as I am out of sight from the house, I phase. It feels good to run and stretch my muscles. And I'm glad that no one in the pack has phased. I need some time to run through this in my head without any interference from anyone else.


	12. Ambivalence

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 12: Ambivalence**

I race towards the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, turning over Sam's words in my mind. He is being fair. In fact, he is being more than fair. There is only one word to describe Sam, noble. That's probably the most compelling reason why he should be chief or council leader instead of me. I may have all the genetic components to be the tribe's chief, but no one will ever call me noble. Sam lives the values that make for a great chief.

I suppose that this is really the answer that I want. I want to believe that Sam is the better man, or wolf, for the job and that will leave me to go and live my own life away from the Rez. I wanted him to say that to me. I wanted him to tell me that he was the better guy for the job. But he didn't, and in its own way, that kind of sucks.

I am still dissatisfied with what he is saying, because he is refusing to tell me what to do, just like Paul, Quil, and Jared. Only in some ways, he has made the choice harder by being just so damn . . . decent about it. I wonder how pissed off that Billy is going to be when Sam and Quil suggest that I take a year to figure it out. I don't even have to phase to know that Quil is going to agree with Sam.

And then there's Sue. She's really the swing vote. Dad is determined to force me to make a choice, kind of, you know, crap or get off the pot. But Sue probably won't feel that anxious to get a decision out of me. As long as allowing Renesmee to live here is not on the table as an option, she probably won't care. I have to wonder how much of a difference to her it will make whether Sam or I is the leader.

Once upon a time, when it looked like she and my Dad might get together, I know that she would have been on his side. But when she chose Charlie, the pale face, over him that really pissed him off. Charlie was okay to have as a best friend, but not as a husband for a Council Elder. Of course that was when Old Quil was still alive. Old Quil was old school and was ready to kick her off the council for sure.

They wanted Seth to take her place, but good old Seth wouldn't do it. Edward told me once that Seth had one of the kindest, purest minds that he had ever read. He would not take the position from his mother as long as she wanted it. At least he said it nicely. When they asked Leah, she told them to go screw themselves. It was one of the few times that I enjoyed Leah's nastiness.

But even now, when I have already more than halfway talked myself into it, I wonder if I can stay away for a whole year. Of course, it doesn't have to be a year. I can just tell the Cullens that I'm coming up for a visit, you know, just to make sure that Renesmee is safe and happy. It wouldn't bother them if I left after a few days or weeks or months. They probably wouldn't care if I stayed for the whole year, especially if it kept Renesmee happy.

So what would I do when I was up there? I know that she will be going to school. She may even be making a few little friends of her own, provided that the full vamps don't scare the crap out of the kids first. From what I heard, when they were at Forks High School, no one would go near them. Of course, Renesmee would be going to a different school.

I reach the cliff and look out over the endless ocean. The clouds are hanging low, but I can still see all the out to the horizon. It is late summer but the wind is blowing cool. It feels good as it ruffles through my fur. I lift up my nose and enjoy the clean, salty scent of the sea.

One thing that I haven't missed since the Cullens left is the vampire stink. I had been breathing it in for seven years, and I had almost forgotten what it was like to have it completely cleared from my nasal passages and live without the constant cloyingly sweet, cold odor burning my sinuses. I lived with the discomfort for Renesmee's sake.

After talking with Sam, I almost could doubt that I had even imprinted on her. How could I not feel as intensely for her as my brother wolves do for their imprints? But if I had not truly imprinted, since Edward can read all of our minds, he would have been the first person to point it out to me. Yet even as he was challenging my right to keep his daughter close to me, he never tried to deny my bond with her.

Not that it has ever pleased him. I suppose that I was lucky that he was worried about Bella for the first couple of days after she was born. I was lucky that he told Carlisle to handle it while he took care of his wife. Considering that he just could have let Rosalie, or Emmett who would do anything for her, kill me, I'm lucky that he decided to be decent about it.

Unlike the others, he was actually grateful that while he was away, I had helped Edward save his wife and child. Okay, I ditched him pretty quickly when I followed Renesmee downstairs, but I was there for the important part. I kept her heart going until he got the venom in.

And if it weren't for me ditching my pack that first night, they would have attacked the house and killed Bella and some of the others. And without Seth, Leah, and I on guard, who knows what could have happened? We even ran patrols so that they could hunt and get supplies. And then I invoked my birthright so hat Edward could change her without a war starting.

Why can't they see that if it weren't for me, there wouldn't even be a Renesmee or a Bella today? But I suppose that my beef with the Cullens is over. It's not about them anymore. It's the Quileutes that are tearing me apart. Even if I could convince the Cullens to let Renesmee come with me if she wants when she is old enough, we are not free to come to La Push and live with our family.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Between Renesmee's birth and the news that the Volturi were coming to get them, the Cullens and my pack were like one big, happy family. Okay, I admit it, it was kind of a one-sided family. We were welcome to go and go as we please from their house, but they still couldn't come on Quileute land.

And then when the Volturi came, we all stood together. Edward said that we (wolves) were a key part of the reason that the Volturi left us alone. They were scared of Bella's shield more than us, but still, thanks to us, _they _were the ones who left with their tails between their legs.

I guess that I kind of knew that things weren't so great for the Cullens in the years that followed. But I have to admit that when Blondie and the other three started traveling, I was pretty happy. Fewer of them meant more time with Renesmee for me. Of course, Edward and Bella never went anywhere, or Carlisle and Esme.

But then, Esme didn't want us to hang out in the house all of time. I guess that we did take advantage of the free food and the widescreen TV. And none of us were very good about cleaning up after ourselves. And of course, we didn't smell any better to them than they did to us. Esme was polite about it, but Edward once asked me if I would want to live with vampire stink in my house all day. I could see the point.

But Bella and Edward didn't want me in their house either. Okay, it was a small house. There wouldn't have been a room for me to go by myself. And I could see how the newlyweds would want their privacy. I would run around the house at night and sometimes I couldn't stand to be too close. I never realized how much vampires could go at it or for how long.

Then when Carlisle had to quit his job at the hospital because of the rumors about all kinds of crazy plastic surgery, even I could see that it made him unhappy. And I knew from living in such close proximity with them that they had always solved these problems by moving.

If I hadn't been so caught up in myself, then maybe I would have seen the signs earlier and it wouldn't have been such a shock when they decided to leave. And now that I can look at it with a clearer head, I should have known that they would never leave Renesmee behind. I wasn't the only one who was totally in love with her.

There were times when the whole family, all eight of them, were together, when Renesmee would play a new piano piece that she had learned. Every single one of them was just as captivated as I was with her grace, beauty, and talent. There were so many ways that _their _world revolved around her. But I couldn't see it because I was blinded by the fact that _my _world was all about her.

Bella told me a few years later how pissed off she was at me after she found out that I had imprinted. She was afraid that I was going to try and steal her child or something. I'm lucky that Edward was able to read my mind (one of the few times that I was) and tell her not to worry about that. But I know that I was still kind of a jerk about letting her near her.

I guess that when I started yelling at them about Renesmee staying with me, that I really didn't have my head screwed on straight. What would have happened if I had showed up on my father's doorstep with her? Would he have kicked us both out? Would he have called a Council meeting and chased us off the land? How bad would that have been for Renesmee?

It would have been bad. I mean, I know that I could have gone to Charlie, but he would have wanted to send her back to Bella right away. He knows what it's like to be separated from your kid. Bella's mother kept her away from him for sixteen years with only short visits once a year.

In fact, if there was all kinds of fighting and tension out on the Rez, Renesmee would have begging crying for her Momma and Daddy anyway. Charlie would have taken her up himself. No, I can see it now. He would have been on their side for sure.

But now if I go up to Whitehorse, what can I even offer her? I would have to figure out a way of making a living. She's used to living in really nice houses, filled with music and artwork and all kinds of books that she has read that I never have. She's used to people teaching her things all the time. Crap, she knows more than I do.

The only thing that I can give her, only thing that I have to offer her is my undying love, devotion, and protection. I've been her best friend all of her life. But I can see how different things were with the three older girls who the guys imprinted. They were all done with school and ready to marry. It was all their choice. There was no need for any involvement of parents. I guess that Quil got lucky with Claire.

How many parents would just let their toddler go off and live on another reservation because some teenage werewolf had developed an attachment to their kid? And Quil didn't have to compete with a family of eight people who felt that they had an equal claim on the child, because they love her the way that she deserves them to, like she's the most important thing in the world.

Everything that I feel for Renesmee is good and pure. She's my little sister and then some. I'm the best friend that she is ever going to have. I'm always going to be there for her.

Yeah, right, Jacob. You sure blew that one! It wasn't like the Cullens were trying to escape fromyou or anything. They even told you where they were going and invited you to come along. And the invitation probably would have been much nicer if you hadn't been such an ass that you even scared Renesmee.

Suddenly, I can hear Quil in my head.

_"Hey, Jake! We need to talk."_

_"No, we don't. Just get lost. I've got some thinking to do."_

_"Maybe it would be better if we both phased back. Then I wouldn't have to listen to all the crap that you're thinking right now unless you wanted me to hear."_

His mind disappears and I know that he has phased back to human. Oh, what the hell! I might as well do this human.

"Hey, bro," he calls out from the woods. "I know that you don't want to talk about this, but I think that you will feel better if you do."

"Why is that?" I ask. "Are you going to tell me that I can bring Renesmee back to the Rez when she's old enough to decide for herself? Or do we have some wolfie pop psychology stuff to discuss?"

"I liked you a lot better before you had to face reality," he says. "You might have been living in a dream world, but at least you weren't so bitter."

"What do you mean living in a dream world?" I ask.

"Jake, you have never really taken a good hard look at the differences between the two of you," he says. "I mean, anyone with two eyes open could see that sooner or later there was going to be some kind of collision."

"Yeah," I say. "But I always figured that the collision would be with the bloodsuckers, not my own tribe."

"Man, listen to yourself," says Quil. "You still call them bloodsuckers and leeches when you get pissed at them. Have you ever thought about the fact that this is Renesmee's _family._ I mean they're supposed to be your family too."

"It's not like Blondie never calls me mongrel or dog," I reply.

"Yeah, well that's not right either," he says. "But every once in a while when you two get really steamed at each other, you call each other those names in front of her. I've watched her face when it happens and it makes her really upset. She loves you both and doesn't see the difference."

"But there is a difference," I say. "A big difference. But my problem right now isn't them. It's my own people."

"It's not really a problem unless you make it one," he says. "The Council gave you their position. Nobody is going to force you to stay. You can leave. But you can't bring Renesmee back."

"Well, I heard from Sam about how you two wimped out on me and wouldn't even let her live here," I reply. "Okay, you abstained. But in this case that was the same as a no."

"I know," he answers. "But I still couldn't vote against you. I just couldn't vote for you. I can see Billy and Sue's side too."

"And what is their side?" I say. "Other than the fact that they hate vampires."

"With good reason," he says. "But we won't go there. No, it's the part about how the tribe is literally fighting to save its life in the white man's country. They want to preserve our heritage for our children and keep what little we have left of our land. And we didn't have much to begin with.

"But it's not just our fight for survival. It's a fight that is going on all over North and South America by the native peoples who were here before ten Europeans came and stole everything from us. If you look at your situation as one isolated thing, then yeah Billy and Sue are prejudiced against Renesmee because of who she is. But in the larger scheme of things it's more about saving the Quileutes from extinction."

"How did you get to be so smart?" I ask.

"Well, I always kind of liked history in school," he answers. "When my grandpa died and I took his place on the Council, I started reading up about all this stuff. I mean, it's one thing to know the Quileute history and it's another to know the history of the Quileutes and other Native Americans in relation to White American history. It's not a pretty picture."

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that in school," I say. "And from Billy whenever he goes on one of his rants against how the white man is destroying the land."

"Bro, wake up and smell the coffee," he says. "The white man is destroying the land. Look at the way he pollutes the air, land, and seas with his garbage. He takes the timber out of the land and doesn't replace it. He hunts the animals until they are gone. He rips the minerals out of the soil and leaves a mess behind.

"At least our people have always tried to live on the land with some respect. We never hunted more than we could eat or cut down more trees than we needed. The whites just come and plunder everything until there's nothing left and then they move on."

"What does this have to do with me and Renesmee?" I ask.

"Have you ever heard of assimilation?" he asks.

"No, was that one of those things I that I never learned in high school?" I ask.

"Probably," he says. "What it means is that the white man is always trying to encourage us to give up our own culture and become a part of theirs. When our boys and girls go off the Rez to work and go to school, they see the better lives that the white people have.

"They have more money and more stuff. Then they meet other people, you know, whites, blacks, Asians, and they fall in love get married. And then their kids become a part of that other world.

"After a while, there aren't enough of us to keep the tribe going. I really hated it that Sue got all personal about Renesmee's . . . uh, biology, but I guess we have to think of these things. We talk about protecting future generations, but we also have to worry about there being future generations."

"Okay, Quil," I say. "You've given me your history lesson or whatever it was. Why don't you just get to the point?"

"I agree with Sam," he says. "You should take a trip up to Whitehorse. You can stay for as long as a year, but when you come back, you will have to say yes or no to the alpha/chief gig or whatever you want to call it. But unless you go, you'll always hate yourself."

"I'm going to hate myself anyway," I say. "There's no way that everyone's going to happy with my decision."

"Then worry about making yourself happy," he says. "If you decide to stay with Renesmee and it's not the right choice, sooner or later you're going to make her miserable. Right now, staying here with us, you're making us all miserable. Go and figure it out. Sam and I will support whatever choice you make."

"What about Dad and Sue?" I ask.

"I think that Sue will give you the year," he says. "And, well, your Dad is just going to have to live with your decision. He wouldn't be the first father to get pissed off at his son for the girl he loved."

"I guess that makes sense," I admit.

"You know it does," he says. "You picked a good spot to think about all of your stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he says. "When you stand up here and look out over the ocean, it makes you realize that La Push is just one small place. There's a big huge world out that keeps moving in to suck it up. But there are also a lot of cool places out there in the world.

"I know La Push is the only place that I'm ever going to want to live. Claire will grow up and we will get married and hopefully our kids will want to stay on the Rez with us. There are probably a lot of things in life that we're never going to have, but we don't need them. I'm just happy to be here with her and to spend my days figuring out how it makes her happy. I don't need anything other than La Push."

"It sounds like La Push has imprinted on you," I say sarcastically.

"Maybe it has," he says thoughtfully. "But if it has on you, it sure as hell isn't making you happy. Please, Jake, for all our sakes, let Sam and I talk Sue and Billy into the year deal."

I think about it. If I don't take the offer, then where will I be in a year? Probably even more miserable than I am now. If that's even possible.

"Yeah, Quil," I say. "You and Sam go to the others. You're right. I got to do this."

"Good," he says and turns to leave.

"Quil," I call after him. "How did you get to be so wise?"

"I think that I inherited it from my grandfather," he says with a smile and runs off.

I sit down, thinking how that was just so Quil. Quil has always been the good guy, the peacemaker. Who knows how much trouble I would have gotten in if he hadn't always been there to talk me out of my temper tantrums. In his way, Quil would make a good chief too.

But then there's me. I want this decision to be easy. But even my snarky remark about La Push imprinting on Quil is just as much about me as it is about him. It hurts to even think about leaving here for a year. And I know exactly how Sam and Quil feel about wanting to hang onto every inch. There is a part of me that wants to stay here and fight that fight. But what good am I to the tribe if I'm mooning over Renesmee all the time?

I guess that I know what I have to do. I have to leave and see if I can really stay away. I recognize now that the choice is mine and I'm going to have to figure it out for myself. But I also know that I am not going to find the answer in La Push. I have to know if I can live without my people and my land. I need to know if I can spend my life in a world full of strangers.

I like how peaceful it is out here. I think that I'm going to sit here for a while before I go home and have the battle of the century with my Dad. But this is something that I have to do, for me.

**Author's note: The chapters where Jacob is trying to sort out his identity in the context of his culture are not intended to imply racism or prejudice on the part of the Quileutes. The relationship between Native Americans and other American races are complex.**

**The character of Jacob that I am trying to develop is one of a man caught in a dilemma. And it is a dilemma that has faced many men and women throughout out the centuries. His culture is at odds with his imprint (as she is in this story, she is too young to be a romantic interest). **

**And as he is growing and evolving as a person, he is beginning to realize that things are not so simple as he thought they were. The fact that he is beginning to see things from the other perspective (at least that of the Cullens) is a huge step forward for him.**

**Will he and Renesmee end up together in the end? Even I don't know. I prefer to let the story tell itself.**


	13. Aurora

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 13: Aurora**

After the final papers for the house are signed, Esme wants to celebrate by going to the Trading Post. I know that in addition to bringing in her sketches to begin to plan her great room, she is also looking forward to seeing Lily and Tabitha again. In all of our various travels, it is Esme who has spent the least amount of time among humans. She certainly never cultivated any "friends" despite the fact that she is the least "scary" of us.

Renesmee is eager to show me all of the offerings of the store so I agree to come with them. We have been reading up together on the local peoples and she wants to look at the crafts and see for herself what books are talking about. On the way over, Esme lectures us on our roles.

"Now remember that you two are brother and sister, two years apart," she says. "Your parents died in a car crash in Chicago ten years ago. Carlisle and I adopted you eight years ago. Renesmee, we are the only parents that you've ever known.

"Edward, you remember being in foster care and worrying that you might be separated. And don't forget that we've just come from Alaska. Edward has lived there before in real life, but you haven't, Renesmee. Let us do the talking about that, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," she says with a grin.

But I can see that she is still worried that Renesmee may slip up somehow. All that I can read in Renesmee's mind is that she wants to see the two women again. We walk into the store, which is empty of customers and are immediately greeted by an older woman behind the counter.

"Well, if it isn't the Cullens," she says, immediately recognizing Esme and Renesmee. "Is this your older brother, Edward?"

"Yes, Lily," says Renesmee politely. "This is Edward. How did you know?"

"I recognized the hair color," she replies. "It's most unusual. And your faces are so similar that you must have had the same mother."

"Yes, they have told me that I look very much like my mother," I say smoothly. "How do you do, Lily?"

"Where is Tabitha?" asks Renesmee.

"She isn't here today," replies Lily. "My granddaughter Aurora is filling in for her. Aurora, come out here and meet the Cullens."

A tall, beautiful young Native American woman comes out, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. She is almost as tall as I am with dark skin and very long, shiny black hair. She moves with a natural elegance despite her height. It is nice to see a tall girl who is not afraid to stand up straight and walk proudly. Her eyes are alight with curiosity and she smiles at all of us. Not surprisingly, she automatically thinks of Carlisle.

"Aurora," says Lily proudly. "These people are Esme, Edward, and Renesmee Cullen."

"How do you do?" she says. "I've already met Dr. Cullen at the hospital. I work there as an orderly."

"I didn't know that Tabitha had a daughter," says Renesmee.

Lily and Aurora look at each other.

"My mother was Esther, Tabitha's sister," says Aurora quietly. "She died a long time ago and I came to live with my grandmother here in Whitehorse."

"What happened to your father?" asks Renesmee curiously.

"Hush, Renesmee," says Esme. "You shouldn't ask so many personal questions."

"Sorry," she says, hanging her head a little.

"That's okay," says Lily. "I certainly gave you the third degree the last time that you were in here. Esther married an Inuit from one of the villages up north. She died a few years after Aurora was born in a scarlet fever epidemic. Aurora's father sent her down here so that she could go to school. He is away hunting most of the time, so he couldn't care for her properly."

"But I love living here in town with my grandmother and aunt," says Aurora quickly, not wanting us to feel sorry for her. "I went to the high school here and now I am studying at Yukon College to be a practical nurse."

"Because you want to help people?" asks Renesmee.

"Yes," she says. "If there had been a nurse up in the village when the epidemic came through then maybe so many people wouldn't have died. My real dream is to be a nurse practitioner, but there is no course for that here in Whitehorse and I can't afford to go away."

"How are they different?" asks Renesmee.

"A practical nurse is more of an assistant who helps the other nurses, the registered nurses, with things that they don't have time to do," she explains. "Registered nurses can do treatments that practical nurses can't. And then nurse practitioners can do even more than registered nurses. But since there is always shortage of all kinds of nurses, I suppose that any kind of nurse is helpful."

I can see why Renesmee was so taken in with the women in here. There is a innate kindness in both Lily and Aurora's minds that makes them feel compelled to reach out to the newcomers. While both of them have noted our strange looks, they also view us as just another variation of the many white people who live here.

The very pale skin and golden eyes don't freak them out anymore than blonde hair and blue eyes do. As far as they are concerned, we are just one more version of the "other."

And of course Carlisle and Esme have never really frightened anyone. In high school, the only one who seemed to enjoy doing that was Emmett it was the odd behavior of the rest of us that made everyone uncomfortable. But I can pick up a thought in Aurora's mind that she is regretful of the seven-year difference in our ages. Luckily, she is looking at me as if I am "jail bait." I wonder what I will have to deal with at school where the girls will be "my age."

"Your name is very pretty," says Renesmee. "Were you named after the Roman goddess of the dawn?"

"No, I was named after the northern lights," she says with a smile. "Up north in the villages you can see them even better than you can here. My mother named me Aurora, because they were shining a brilliant red and green when I was born."

"Of course," she says quickly. "The aurora borealis. I was thinking of Roman mythology. Do you know that the word borealis also comes from a Latin word. It's the word for north."

"I'm afraid that I didn't know that," she says with a smile. "I didn't learn about Roman mythology in school. However, I learned a lot about my own culture's myths and legends. You will learn them too in your First Nations classes."

"Cool, I like to learn new things. But I didn't learn about mythology in school either," Renesmee giggles. "I've never learned anything in school before, because I've never been in school."

"That's what we've heard," says Lily. "What do you say, Edward? Are you looking forward to going to school for the first time too?"

"Of course," I reply, but then decide to sidetrack the conversation before we get into dangerous territory. "Mom, are there some things that you wanted to look for? Why don't you show Lily the sketches that you made of the great room. Come on, Renesmee, why don't you show me around?"

I drag my daughter away before she can say anything else. So much for Renesmee being shy. Esme looks up at me, and thinks: _Thanks, Edward. I owe you for that one._

Very soon, Esme and Lily are fully engaged in looking at the sketches and talking about the space and the lighting. This is where I tune out. But as Renesmee shows me around, I can hear Aurora's thoughts.

She is thinking about how much she wants to go into the more advanced nursing course, but doesn't want to go all the way down to British Columbia to pursue it. Aside from the money, she doesn't want to leave her aunt and grandmother. She loves the Yukon and would miss it very much.

She is looking at Renesmee and thinking wistfully how lucky she is to have two such wonderful parents as Carlisle and Esme and a big brother like me. Then she thinks of the other children in the family and wonders if they are all as beautiful as we are.

After she goes back to wherever she was working before in the back. I can overhear Esme speaking with Lily.

"Your granddaughter is lovely," she says, thinking that she can turn the discussion away from us. "You must be very proud of her for pursuing a career in nursing."

"Yes, I am very proud of her," says Lily. "She was always at the top of her classes in school and worked very hard. But she has always been interested in medicine. Before she worked as an orderly, she was a volunteer. The doctors and nurses said that she was so good with the patients that she should become a doctor herself."

"Why isn't she studying for that?" Esme asks.

"She doesn't want to leave Whitehorse or the Yukon," she says. "Even for a short time. There are other kids, even white ones, who have left to study down in BC or Alberta before who have never come back. You can make a lot more money as a doctor or nurse in the cities than you can here."

"Well, we know that," says Esme. "But we made the choice to live in a smaller place because we didn't want to raise the children in a big city."

"Perhaps if she talks to Carlisle it will help," says Lily. "I like your family values. They are very similar to our own."

"I'm sure that he would be happy to talk to her," Esme replies.

They turn their conversation over to interior decorating, but Lily is still thinking sadly of her granddaughter. She is thinking that even if they could convince her to go away to school, they couldn't afford it. Although her store could make a lot of money for her, based on the overall profits, she only takes a small cut for herself. She would rather see more of the money go up the people who rely on it for subsistence.

I walk over to where several huge carpets are hanging on the wall. It is obvious that many hours and many hands went into producing these beauties. When you take that into account, the $500 price tag actually seems low. Then there are the carvings, the jewelry, and the clothing which are also priced higher than retail. But these items put food on the tables of the First Nations, as opposed to profits in the pockets of businessmen.

"Please, Edward," says Renesmee, looking at me with what Bella calls her puppy dog eyes.

She is holding up a rather amazing painting of a wolf howling, nose pointed up toward the sky, standing on a snowy cliff. In the background, the sky is filled with the dancing colors of the northern lights. The artist's depiction is so incredible, that you can almost see them shimmering against the black sky.

"Mom, look at this!" I call over.

Esme walks over with Lily.

"That's astounding!" she says. "Look at the rendering of the aurora. It appears to be moving. Do you want that for your room, Renesmee?"

She nods. I can read the note of pride in Lily's mind. Her son was the artist who painted the picture.

"Who is the painter?" I ask.

"My son, Hunter, is the painter," she says proudly. "He works for one of the mining companies up north and paints in his spare time to relive the stress."

"He's very talented," says Esme. "He should exhibit in wider venues."

"It's just a hobby for him," says Lily. "Hunter was the first in my family to graduate from college. His degree is in earth sciences. He donates the money that he makes from his paintings to a local college fund for the children of the First Nations."

"You have a very altruistic family," says Esme. "You and your husband certainly did something right when you raised your children."

Lily's mouth hardens into a straight line.

"Shortly after Tabitha was born," she says tightly. "My husband took off on me. We heard that a few years later he had drunk himself to death."

"What do you mean?" asks Renesmee, before we can stop her.

"No, that's okay," says Lily. "She will learn soon enough for herself. When the white men came to our lands they introduced our people to alcoholic drink, firewater some people call it. But our people have no tolerance for it and become easily addicted. Some of them die from alcohol poisoning or in drunk driving accidents. But the biggest problem is alcoholism."

"I'm very sorry," says Esme. "You must have struggled to raise three children alone."

"I wasn't alone," she replies. "My parents were there the whole time. I was very lucky as our women go who lose their men to drink or other things. I wasn't left alone. And I have good friends here in town."

"I like this picture very much," says Renesmee. "It reminds me of my friend Jacob."

"Is your friend Jacob a wolf?" asks Lily with a smile.

We all freeze for a moment.

However, Lily thinks that she is making a joke, so I say to Renesmee, "Why don't you tell Lily a little about Jacob's Native American history?"

She nods knowingly at me.

"Jacob is a Quileute Indian," she says. "We met him in Alaska and he told us the tribe's history. The Quileutes believe that they are descended from wolves and that the wolves are their friends."

"That's very interesting," says Lily, who is not really interested at all.

"I think that the colors will go very well with the plan that we have discussed for your room," says Esme quickly. "Lily, perhaps you could write up an order for some of the pieces we discussed. Would you hold them until I already to bring them out to the house?"

"Of course," she says. "Do you want to take the painting with you?"

"Yes, please," answers Renesmee.

Esme says nothing else to us as we walk out of the store. Lily had forgotten the exchange about Jacob as soon as it was over. Apparently the whole "descended from wolves thing" is not a very unusual leitmotif in Native American legends in the north. Of course, Esme doesn't know this.

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Aurora," says Renesmee suddenly as we are walking back to the car.

Before she can turn around, Esme grasps her hand and tugs her forward. She is surprised but immediately follows. When we are all safely back in the car, Esme begins talking.

"Renesmee," she says sternly, in a most un-Esmelike way. "You can't mention Jacob like that again."

"Why not?" she asks. "I just said that the picture reminds me of him."

"Renesmee, we haven't figured out how Jacob fits into the cover story for the humans yet," she says. "Your Daddy did a very good job of covering . . . "

"Lying," she interrupts.

"Renesmee," I say. "We are doing a lot of lying to the humans about who we are and where we are from. You know that. If Jacob comes, he is going to have to do a lot of lying also. We like to keep our stories as close to the truth as possible, but in Jacob's case it's a little harder. He has a real history in the human world, because he is essentially human."

"Well, I'm sure that when he comes, he will be looking for me first," she says confidently. "We can explain it to him then."

"I hope that you're right," says Esme. "It wouldn't take much for him to discredit our whole story. Then we would have to move again."

"I don't want to move!" cries Renesmee. "I like it here!"

"Then you will have to be much more careful when you speak," she says. "And we were afraid that you would be too shy to make friends."

"I'm sure that she's right, Esme," I say. "The only reason that Jacob has to come here is Renesmee. He will be looking for her first."

"So what have we said about him?" asks Esme.

"He's a Native American, a Quileute," I reply. "We met him in Alaska. His tribe believes that they are descended from wolves. Lily wasn't the least bit impressed. But we really shouldn't mention him again."

"Quileutes don't come from Alaska," says Esme. "How did we meet him there? While the white people wouldn't know, the Native Americans are far more cognizant of these. Just like the Irish in America always want to know what county their Irish acquaintances came from."

"Well, that will obviously be something that he will have to cover up," I say. "He is going to have to come up with a reason why he was in Alaska, when his tribe is in Washington State. At least we kept the friendship part vague. We will have to figure out some way that they would have met in passing while he was visiting the state."

"So Jacob will have to lie too?" asks Renesmee.

"Jacob was always going to have to lie if he came up here to join us," I say logically. "He knows our secret and can't tell anyone either. If we can't trust him, then we will not be able to tell him where we are going the next time we move. But Jacob has a secret of his own. I think that he will understand."

_Edward, I really hope that Jacob stays away,_ Esme is thinking. _This could get very complicated. Who knew that Renesmee would be so open about talking with strangers?_

I look over at her and grimace. None of us thought that she had it in her to be so outgoing. But then again, it makes sense. Her gift for showing others her thoughts by touching their cheek or neck was always indicative of a very open mind. Bella and I discussed it once.

No one could get into her mind, but no one could keep Renesmee out. It looks like we are going to have to teach Renesmee to control her mouth the way that we did her hand. She has always been a very charming child and everyone who has ever met her has been drawn to her. I never considered this to be a problem before.

_**Author's Note: I am not going to get into a debate about racism, but it is hardly fair to compare the Quileute Elder Council with Hitler or ethnic cleansing. They aren't trying to exterminate or force anyone out of their homes. In fact, one could argue successfully that this kind of behavior has been perpetrated by the whites against the Native Americans since they first met each other.**_

_**This story will be examining, on several levels, the relationship between two cultures, or the one and the "other." Intermarriage is always a touchy subject because it is so personal, but it does not imply racism, genocide, or ethnic cleansing. It is usually just very uncomfortable for the families on both sides. In the interest of fairness, I will be trying to examine the issue from both sides of the story.**_


	14. Jacob's Choice

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 14: Jacob's Choice**

After I phase, it doesn't take me long to go home. I know that I can't fight with my father about leaving until after Sam and Quil talk to him and Sue. I suppose that they will call me before the Council to put the new offer on the table. I intend to take it.

I go to my room and begin to pack what I need. I have to figure out how I will get up there and decide that I will want my bike to get around. I can pack a backpack for the trip and then ship up the rest of my stuff. Then I realize that if I'm going into Canada the legal way, I need a passport. How the hell do I get one of those?

But there's no time to worry about the passport because my Dad is coming in.

"Hey, Jake!" he calls. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," I say as I move my stuff out of his line of vision.

One good thing about having such a small room is that Dad's wheelchair can't fit through the door. He can't see my stuff all packed up.

"I'm going over to Charlie's later to watch the game," he says. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure, Dad," I say, still pondering the passport thing. "Big Mariners game tonight, huh?"

"They're playing the Yankees," he says. "That's always a big game."

If you say so, I think. He and Charlie get pretty intense about their teams, but in my mind, nothing is worse than baseball. I suppose that another one of my Dad's big disappointments with me is that I never turned into some kind of crazy sports fan like him. It's not that I don't like to catch a game now and then. I just can't get so worked up about it.

Especially baseball. He talked me into taking him into Seattle once to see a Mariners game in the stadium. That was when I discovered what happened during all of those commercials on TV. The team in the field threw the ball around, and the team batting swung their bats. I told him that the next time, I would buy him and Charlie tickets and he could take him.

But going to Charlie's house to watch a game shouldn't be so bad. Maybe he has heard from Bella about the move to Whitehorse. So far I'd been avoiding him because I didn't want to hear the news, but I know that they must have talked on the phone. And if there was anything new, I can find out without asking about it. He will only be too happy to share all the details with Billy.

And of course, if everything is going peachy keen, Billy will want to hear all about it so that he can rub it in. You know. See, Jacob, here you are worrying about her and she's perfectly fine. In fact she's better than fine. She is loving her new home with her family all around her for a change. Do you want to spoil all that for her? Like he cares about Renesmee's happiness or something! I can just hear him now.

But Charlie does have a computer at the house. Bella bought it for him a few years back along with the wide screen TV that takes up most of the living room. She would have bought him a new house too, but Sue talked her out of it. She said that she didn't want to keep a bigger place clean. But she didn't say no to the new car so that Charlie didn't have to drive all over the place in the cruiser. I guess it must be nice to have a kid who married a rich guy.

So I plan to watch the game for a couple of innings and then go over to the computer and do a little research on passports. I figure that I'll need my birth certificate and license to get one. I wonder how fast you can get a passport. Then I'll wipe my search history from the computer. It's a tip that Renesmee gave me when she was showing me her computer. She doesn't always want her parents to know where she has been exploring on the Internet.

When we get to Charlie's house, the pre-game show is already on. We picked up a couple of pizzas on the way over. Charlie already has the beer. Sue is over in Port Angeles going to the movies with friends. It's not the baseball that she can't stand. It's watching Charlie eat and drink all that beer and junk food. She says that it reminds her too much of Harry.

As we settle in and start to chow down, Charlie starts talking about his most recent call from Bella.

"So they're all happy with the place they found up there," he says. "It's nice and big for the nine of them to spread out, used to be some hotel or something. But the locals call it the Parker ranch for the guy who built it.

"They told me that it even has an old cabin on the property near the house that Esme's going to renovate as a guest house for me and Sue when we visit. It's nice to know that they are thinking about me. And they have some huge barn that they are fixing up for all those cars."

"Sounds perfect," says Billy. "How are the people in town?"

"So far everyone at the hospital has been real nice to Carlisle," he replies. "Of course they've never had such a good doctor up there. And Esme has made friends with a couple of First Nations women. They run some kind of trading post where they sell the native crafts. You know how Esme is into all that house decorating stuff. Well, the new house has something called a great room that she's decorating with that kind of thing."

"How about the schools?" Billy asks.

"They will all being going to these French immersion schools where they take all their classes in French," he says. "Bella was joking that she never understood math in English, so she doesn't expect to understand it in French either. But in Canada, they have to know both languages."

I know that Dad is asking all these questions for my benefit. He is hoping to hear that they are all happy and well so I won't have an excuse to go up there. Of course, I don't need an excuse.

"Well, that sounds real good," says Billy. "Did you talk to Renesmee at all?"

"Yeah," he says. "For a little bit. She was talking about how the guidance counselor was going to introduce her to some other little girl in the school who was going to be her buddy.

"And she's learning French on the Internet so that she can keep up. And she was all excited about this poncho thing that she bought at the trading post. Alice used to buy all of her clothes on the Internet because they didn't like to go to stores. But now Bella is letting her pick out her own things."

"Well, that sounds just fine," says Billy.

"Oh, but this is the funniest thing," says Charlie. "Apparently, Esme needed something to haul all of her decorating stuff in so they bought her this huge Ford F-150 pick up truck. Can you picture it? Little Esme in a big truck like that?"

"No, I can't," he says. "But I'm sure that it must be a sight to see. Look the first batter is up."

That's the end of the conversation. At the first commercial, I want to ask if Renesmee said anything about me, but I don't dare. If I do, I know that my Dad will be all over it when we get home. But I have to admit that I feel relieved to know that she's okay and it looks like she happy. But who knows if it was just an act for Charlie's sake.

It's an exciting game, so it's the fourth inning before I even think about going over to the computer. Dad and Charlie are so wrapped up in it that they don't even notice when I go over and turn it on. The information that I find is pretty basic, but it looks like it's easy.

You just go to your local post office with the paperwork and picture and they take care of it. I frown when I realize that it can take up to two weeks to come back. But then I see that I can go to the office in Seattle and they will process it all while I wait. That's good news. I can leave right after I get it. The question is how am I going to get my stuff up to Whitehorse if I don't have an address or even a PO box yet.

But I bet that if I leave it with Quil that he will take care of it for me. I just better get it out of the house before I tell my Dad. Once Dad knows, things are going to get pretty ugly.

The next day, I go out on the cliff to contemplate my next move. I have pulled together everything that I need and now have it stashed out in the garage. As I am watching the waves hit the shore, I hear the thud of four paws hitting the ground as Quil races toward me. Even though I am in human form, I can recognize the sound of his gait. Then I hear him coming towards me on two feet.

"Hey, man," he says as he sits down beside me. "Sam and I just talked to your Dad and Sue. They agreed to let Sam make the offer."

_"They _agreed?" I ask skeptically.

"Okay, Sue agreed and then Billy didn't have a choice, he says. "Right now he's pretty pissed at Sam for thinking of it. But Sue thinks that it's a fair offer. She says that she wants you to get on with your life. But as long as you want to be with Renesmee, you won't do that."

"That's very decent of her," I say.

"She also thinks that you will be back," he says. "She thinks that when you see how happy Renesmee is up there that you will want to leave her so that she can get on with her life."

"I thought that she of all people understood what imprinting meant," I reply. "After all, she had a front row seat for the whole Sam-Leah-Emily thing, remember?"

"Yes, she did," he says. "But she thinks that you're stronger than Sam. In fact, she was pretty harsh on him. Today, we all found out that she is totally against Sam ever becoming chief. She wants you to come back and be the alpha/chief as much as Billy does. It's just for different reasons."

"And she thinks that she can achieve this by letting me go?" I say.

"She thinks like Sam does," he explains. "She thinks that in the end, your feelings for the tribe will win out over the imprint. But Billy and I think that the imprint will win. I mean, he sees it with Paul and Rachel. And he knows that he kind of screwed that one up. I see it because I know that I would have moved to the Makah Rez if I had to so that I could be close to Claire."

"There's a pretty big difference, not to mention distance, between Makah Rez and Whitehorse," I say. "And you wouldn't have any trouble bringing Claire back here after you were married."

"That's true," he says. "But I think that in the end the imprint is stronger than how you feel for the tribe. That's my personal feeling anyway."

"That's what Sam says about himself," I reply. "But he says that I'm different."

"Yeah, I know," he says. "Sam went into that whole thing about his Dad and your Dad being two different kinds of men. But it still didn't make Billy happy."

"I can imagine."

"We're going to have a Council Meeting tonight to make you the offer," he says. "The whole tribe will be there."

"Okay," I say. "Quil, do you think that you could help me with something? I'm going up there on my bike and I want to ship the rest of my stuff to myself. Do you think if I left it with you, you could take care of it when I have an address?"

"Sure," he says. "But you better be ready to move out after the meeting. You can stay at my place tonight."

"Thanks, man," I say. "I really appreciate it."

"I know that you'd do it for me," he says. "Why don't we go back to my place and get the truck. Is your stuff in the house?"

"No, I took the precaution of moving it out to my garage, before I took off this morning," I reply.

"Smart move, bro," he says. "Billy is going to be royally pissed when he comes home."

"Yeah, I kind of knew that," I sigh.

We go back to his place to get the truck and then go over to mine to get the stuff. I can see that my Dad isn't home yet. After we load it up, I decide to stick around until he gets back. I might as well get that over with too.

"I don't want him to accuse me of sneaking off," I tell Quil. "I'm going to face him like a man."

"I got to admire your bravery," he says.

"I don't know how brave I am," I say. "What can he do to me? Ram me in the ankle with his wheelchair? No, I just want to let him get it out of his system before the meeting."

Quil looks at me doubtfully, like he doesn't think that's going to happen. I don't either, but at least he can rip into me without an audience. I don't have to wait long. Shortly after Quil leaves, he comes rolling down the hill. I go out to face him.

"Son," he says sternly, like I'm still a kid. "We need to talk."

"Yes, we do, Dad," I answer.

"First of all," he says. "I'm guessing that you heard all about this crazy offer that the Council is going to make you. What did you have to do with it?"

"Nothing," I reply. "I just went to talk to Sam about what he would do if he were in my shoes. Just like I talked to the other guys. The offer was all his idea."

"Are you sure about that?" he asks.

"Of course I am," I say. "I certainly wouldn't have even thought of it."

"No," he says disparagingly. "I don't think that you're smart enough to. What are you going to do?"

"You already know the answer to that question," I say.

"No, I don't," he replies. "Quil said that you agreed to let them talk to us. But he didn't say that you made up your mind."

"Do you think that I would have let them ask and start up a whole lot of trouble, if I hadn't decided?" I ask.

"So all last night, while you were sitting with me and Charlie watching the game, you knew that you were going to leave me," he says. "How could you lie to me like that, son?"

"I didn't lie to you," I answer. "I just didn't tell you."

"Were you afraid to tell me?" he asks, in challenging voice.

"Yeah, kind of," I say. "But then I realized that I'm twenty-three and am old enough to make my own decisions. The Cullens had invited me to come up with them and I decided to join them. Maybe I wouldn't have decided so quickly, but Sam and Quil helped me make the choice."

"Sam wants to be chief, you know," he says.

"Yeah, I know," I reply. "He doesn't like the idea of being second choice, but he knows that he is. He just wants everyone to know that I made up my mind on my own."

"With a little help from him," he says bitterly.

"Dad, try to be reasonable," I say. "I'm not deciding not to be chief. I'm deciding to go to Whitehorse and see if I can live away from the Rez. Look, I've accepted the fact that Renesmee will never live here. But I'm still not sure that I can live without her.

"You don't know how I feel, Dad. I know that you loved Mom a lot, but you didn't imprint on her. Sam knows how it feels to imprint. He said himself that if someone had taken Emily hundreds of miles away from him that he wouldn't have stayed away as long as I have. He would have followed her right away."

"That's because he's a chip off the old block," replies Billy.

"Dad, that's not fair," I say. "I don't remember Sam's Dad, but I don't see how he can be anything like him."

But I can see that my Dad is starting to get really angry. He can see that he is not going to win this argument, so he goes for the jugular.

"So then, this little, half-breed bloodsucker is more important to you than your tribe," he says. "Your people, and your land. You are going to throw away your entire heritage for a kid who's only half-human."

"Dad," I say. _"I'm _only half-human. I probably spend more of my time as a wolf than I do as a human."

"To protect the tribe!" he says. "To protect your people from _her _people. Do you realize that if her people had not come back here that we wouldn't have needed seventeen wolves? In fact, if she had never born we wouldn't have ended up with that many."

"And now that they're gone, you know very well that even sixteen are more than we need," I say. "You know very well that you don't even need three wolves. Sam and Quil are more than enough protection."

"But _you _are the true Alpha," he says. "It was convenient enough for you to choose to exert your will when Bella needed you to. But even after Bella had her child and . . . survived, you still refused to take your rightful place."

"Because I imprinted on Renesmee," I say.

"No," he says. "Because you imprinted on _her _daughter. You couldn't have Bella, so you decided to have her child. And as an infant, she couldn't refuse you like Bella did."

"It wasn't like that!" I shout. "When I went downstairs after Bella died, I wanted to _kill _that kid. In fact I probably would have killed her right after Bella died if Blondie hadn't come up to take her out if the room. The last thing that I had on my mind when I approached her was imprinting. But then I saw those eyes, those eyes that were just like Bella's, and I knew. She was the one."

"Listen to yourself, you idiot!" he yells back. "You weren't imprinting on Renesmee. It was Bella, always Bella! And now that she's one of them, you _can't _have her. But you will take her daughter. You were ready to start a war between them and us for her."

"This is not about Bella!" I shout. "Do you know how _hard _I tried to imprint on her? Do you know how many times I tried to stare into her eyes and imprint? But I never did. Because she wasn't the one, it was Renesmee."

"You're deluding yourself if you think that's true," he says. "And you're betraying your tribe. Do you know that if things had worked out between you and Bella that I would even have accepted her as your wife?"

"That's very big of you, Dad," I reply. "A full-blood paleface would have been okay?"

"If she was willing to understand and live our traditions," he says. "I would even have fought for you to become the alpha/chief."

"Dad," I say. "Do you know what that sounds like? It sounds like you are a racist or something, looking for ethnic purity. That sounds a whole lot like the white man to me."

"You are missing the point, Jake!" he says angrily. "Completely. The white man is in no danger from us wiping out his people and culture. Don't you see that if things continue the way that they are, the Quileutes might just be absorbed, both land and people into the white man's culture? Don't you understand what I am fighting for?"

"All I understand is that you are messing around in my personal life," I reply as I can feel my own anger build.

"Of course, Jacob," he says sarcastically. "This is all about you. It's always all about you. It's no wonder that you fought so hard against being in the pack. You care more about yourself than about the Quileutes."

"And you care more about the Quileutes than you do about me," I shout back. "Is that all I am to you? Someone to carry on your name and breed more little wolf pups to protect the tribe?"

"Jacob," he says through gritted teeth. "You have no idea of what you mean to me. You are my son. And yes, it is my hope that you will carry on the Quileute traditions and heritage, and that you will accept the role that the Black family has played in leading this tribe for many generations.

"And I do want you to be happy. But in the end, I do not think that you will be happy with this girl. In the end, the differences will tear the both of you apart. And I know that if you were completely sure that she was your destiny that you would have followed her the day she left. But you didn't. You stayed here. Something is pulling you here that is stronger than what you feel for her."

"I've heard enough," I say, as I swing my leg over my bike. "I'm getting out of here before I phase and do something that I regret."

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"To Quil's," I reply. "I'll see you at the Council meeting tonight."

Before he can answer, I gun the engine and take off. I don't even look back to see his face. I only hope that there will not be another scene at the Council meeting tonight. If my Dad thought that he was going to talk me out of my decision by insulting me like that, he really screwed up.

If anything, all of his ranting only made me more determined to do things my way.


	15. My New Friend

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Author's Note: After four chapters of Jacob's soul searching, I thought it was time for a lighter update. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 15: My New Friend**

On Monday morning, Esme's cell phone rings and it is Mrs. Miller from the school.

"Renesmee," she calls to me. "Mrs. Miller wants to know if you would like to meet your school buddy today?"

"Today?" I say. "Can I? Can I, please?"

"Yes," she says into the phone. "She would love to."

"Okay," she says. "We will meet you at the school at eleven. Thank you very much, Mrs. Miller."

When she gets off the phone, it feels like everyone except Carlisle, who is at the hospital, is in the room.

"Renesmee is going to meet her school buddy today?" asks Momma.

"Yes, she is," says Esme. "When Mrs. Miller told the girl about Renesmee, she was very excited. Apparently, it is a great honor at the school to be a buddy for a new student. The little girl is French-Canadian from Quebec, but her family moved to Whitehorse when she was a baby. Her name is Celine Bouchard and she is twelve."

"This is so exciting," says Auntie Rose. "Renesmee will know a student before she even gets to school."

"It would have been nice if I had known someone before I went to Forks High School," says Momma. "Maybe she would have warned my about my rude and hostile lab partner."

"Guilty as charged," says Daddy cheerfully. "But I made up for it later."

"Yes, you did," she says smiling at him like they have a secret.

But everyone knows the story about how her blood smelled so sweet to him that he almost killed her on the spot. He even ran away from her for a whole week to keep her safe. But he couldn't stay away from her and before he knew it he was in love with her; and all she ever thought about was him. They were in love with each from the beginning.

"What should I wear?" I ask.

"I think that jeans and a tee shirt would be fine," says Momma. "And you can wear your new poncho!"

"We should braid your hair," says Auntie Rose logically. "You don't know what you'll be doing and you don't want to have to bring a hairbrush."

"Okay," I say and go off to my room to pick out jeans and a black tee shirt. Alice got it for me. It has a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it and says "Paris" underneath. I figure that if I wear the shirt that she will forgive me for wearing the poncho.

Auntie Rose follows behind me, and after I am dressed, picks up the brush so that she can separate my long hair into three sections. The brushing takes the longest because I have curly hair like Grandpa Charlie.

"You're going to have to braid it everyday for school," she says, as her hands are flying through my hair. "It's beautiful when it hangs down naturally, but you will ever be able to take care of it yourself."

"It hangs all the way down to my butt," I say. "Maybe I should get it cut."

"Over Alice's pile of ashes," she says. "She sulks every time you get it trimmed."

"Momma says that it's because her hair is so short," I reply.

"Yes," says Auntie Rose. "And since vampire hair doesn't grow, it will never get any longer. That's why it would be better if you didn't complain about your long hair when she is around. You don't want to make her feel bad."

"No, of course not," I say.

When we go out to the living room, Momma is holding my poncho over her arm.

"I think that Esme should take her all by herself," Momma is saying to Daddy.

"I would feel better if I could meet the girl and her mother," says Daddy.

"Edward," says Esme patiently. "This isn't going to work unless you stop hovering. It's not normal behavior for a human teenage boy. Now I am sure that both the girl and her mother are lovely people."

Daddy looks unhappy, but Momma puts her arm around his waist and whispers something in his ear. His face lights up and he turns and gives her a kiss on the lips. Suddenly, he is no longer eager to come along.

After we get in the car, Esme turns to me and says, "Are you ready?"

I am too overcome to nod. I feel shy again.

"Are you feeling scared?" she asks gently.

The sound of her gentle voice calms me enough so that I can nod.

"If you like, we can cancel," she suggests.

"No," I say in a small voice. "I want to do this."

The drive from the condo to school feels much shorter than it did last week. Before I know it, I am standing outside the car feeling frozen. But Esme just takes my hand and leads me into the building.

We go into the office where we met Mrs. Miller last week. Today, there are lots of people there, busy making copies, assembling folders with brightly colored papers, and talking about what they did over the summer. If I could, I would like to melt into Esme's side.

"Hello!" says a bright blonde-haired woman. "You must be Mrs. Cullen and Renesmee. Mrs. Miller is expecting you."

She gestures towards Mrs. Millers' office door, which is partly open. Mrs. Miller must have overheard her because she comes out.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen!" she says cheerfully. "Hello, Renesmee! Are you ready to meet your first new friend in Whitehorse?"

I nod and try to smile, but I feel too scared.

"You are still feeling a little shy, aren't you?" she says more gently. "I see that you left your big brother at home this time."

I nod again. I would like to say that he wanted to come but Mom told him not to hover, but I can't quite find my voice.

"Why don't you come in?" she says.

Her voice is so filled with kindness that it makes me want to cry. I had no idea that humans could be so nice. When I get into the office, I see another little girl, about the same size as me and I suddenly feel relaxed.

She has long, very straight blonde hair and big, blue eyes. Like me, she is very fair and slender. But the most exciting thing about her is that she is wearing a poncho and jeans too! I can't wait to get home and tell Alice that I fit in.

"This is Celine and her mother Sylvie Bouchard," says Mrs. Miller. "May I introduce Renesmee and Esme Cullen?"

"How do you do?" says Celine politely and holds out her hand.

I take in mine and say, "Very well, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm very good," she says and giggles. "We both have ponchos! Did you get yours at the Trading Post?"

"Yes, I did," I say. "I like your colors."

"I almost picked out that one," she replies. "But Mama said that the blue matches my eyes. Those colors look very pretty on you."

"Thank you," I reply. "The blue does look lovely with your eyes."

I like the way she says "Mama" with the accent on the second syllable. It sounds like French.

"How do you do, Esme," says Mrs. Bouchard. "Is you daughter named for you? It is such an unusual name."

"Hello, Sylvie," answers Esme. "No, Renesmee is adopted. Her parents named her and her brother Edward. They were French."

"From France or Canada?" asks Mrs. Bouchard curiously.

"I don't know," answers Esme. "My husband and I adopted them in Chicago eight years ago. They didn't give us that information."

"You must have been very young," she comments.

"Yes," she said. "But my husband is a doctor so they trusted us. And not many people wanted to adopt the two children together. They wanted the little girl, but not a boy."

"Mom and Dad adopted us so that Edward and I could stay together," I say. "I don't remember it, but that's what Edward told me."

"And Edward is two years older," says Mrs. Bouchard. "What about the others? I heard that you had many brothers and sisters."

"Alice and Bella are also fourteen," answers Esme. "And Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie are fifteen. Alice and Emmett are also adopted, but the other three are foster children."

"Rosalie and Jasper are twins," I add.

"It is so generous of you to open your home," says Mrs. Bouchard. "To so many children without parents. Would it be alright if Renesmee came over to our home for a couple of hours? She and Celine could have lunch and play."

"Do you like dolls, Renesmee?" asks Celine. "I have lots of dolls to play with."

"I still like to play with dolls," I say shyly and look at Esme longingly.

She smiles down at me and says, "Of course you may visit with Celine."

"Esme, is there anything special about Renesmee's diet that I need to know?" asks Mrs. Bouchard. "There are so many children these days with food allergies, that I am afraid to give any child something to eat."

"Renesmee doesn't have any allergies," says Esme, telling her the story that Carlisle made up to explain my diet. "But she has Celiac's, so she can't have anything with gluten or any processed foods. She does well with fruit and vegetables, some meat or fish."

"I am sorry that you have the Celiac's," says Mrs. Bouchard kindly. "But it sounds like you eat a very healthy diet. Too many children like the junk food."

"Well you don't have to worry about junk food at my house," says Celine. "Mama refuses to buy it for me."

Mrs. Miller smiles.

"Are you both comfortable leaving now?" she asks.

"Oh, yes," says Celine confidently. "We are going to be great friends! I just know it!"

"How do you know it?" I ask her.

She looks at me mischievously.

"We both have ponchos and we both like to play with dolls," she says. "Some of the other girls think that dolls are for babies, but I don't. Come on, Mama, let's go!"

She picks up my hand to pull me away, but I reach over to give Esme a hug and a kiss.

"Goodbye, Mom," I say. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie," she says. "Now go have fun."

Celine giggles again and picks up my hand. We walk out to the car together to wait for her Mama.

"I like the way that you kissed your Mom goodbye," she confides in me. "A lot of the girls think that they are too cool for that."

"I don't know about things like that," I say. "I've never been to school before and I am afraid that the kids are going to think that I am weird."

Celine rolls her eyes.

"Nobody in this school thinks that anyone else is weird," she says. "That's mean and we don't like mean kids here. You tell me if any of the girls tease you and I will stand up for you."

"What if the boys tease me?" I ask, feeling worried.

"They won't tease you," she says. "They will ignore you. All they want to do is play their guy games on the playground. The girls like to sit and talk."

"Come along, girls," says Mrs. Bouchard. "Let's go home."

I turn around to look for my Mom, but she isn't there.

"She stayed behind to talk a little more with Mrs. Miller," she says as if she has read my mind like Daddy. "She will pick you up at our place a little later."

Mrs. Miller's car is a big silver SUV. She sits in the front and insists that we sit in the back together with our seat belts on. I am very careful to do as she tells me. Vampires don't wear seat belts because they don't have to worry about crashing. The drive to their house is not far. They live in one of the subdivisions near the town.

Their neighborhood is filled with cute little houses. Celine's house is white with green shutters. When we pull into the garage, Celine says, "We have a heated garage so that the engines don't freeze into winter. But since you're from Alaska you know all about that."

I just nod. I have no idea of what she is talking about, but I will ask the others when I get home. Esme had told me that if I don't know what someone is talking about and they think that I should, I should just nod. I hope that I won't have to do too much nodding today.

Celine's house is bigger than the cottage, but much smaller than the big White House in Forks or the ranch. She brings me up to her bedroom, which is decorated in very bright colors. I have never seen such a cluttered room before. Her shelves are overflowing with books and there are dolls and stuffed animals everywhere. She has a huge dollhouse.

But in addition to her books and toys, there are clothes all over the place. Her bed isn't made. Mrs. Bouchard follows us upstairs and groans when she sees the room.

"Celine, you told me that you cleaned up," she scolds.

"I did clean up," she says innocently. "But I couldn't find any place to put my things, so just threw them back where they were."

"Next time I will remember to tell you to not just clean but straighten everything," she says, and then leaves us alone.

"Do you have a very neat room at home?" she asks.

"Right now the room is neat because we haven't moved into the house yet," I say. "Most of my things are still in storage. You sure have a lot of books."

"I love to read," she says. "You're lucky because you have all those brothers and sisters. I'm an only child, so I have to entertain myself."

"But you have friends, don't you?" I ask.

"Of course, I have friends," she says. "But they don't live with me. And my mother doesn't let me watch a lot of TV."

"I don't watch TV at all," I admit. "I kind of think that it's boring."

"What do you like to do?" she asks.

"I like to read and play the piano," I say. "And I play with my dolls. And my family and I like to go camping and hiking."

"Do you play any sports?" she asks.

"I'm not really a sports kind of person," I say. "My Mom wants to sign me up for dance classes."

"I dance," she says. "I can see why Mrs. Miller matched us up. We like a lot of the same things. Do you have any pets?"

"No, I don't think that we are a pet kind of family," I say.

"Well, I could be a pet kind of kid," she says. "But I don't have a pet kind of Mama. She thinks that they stink up the house."

I laugh.

"That's why my whole family doesn't want pets," I say thinking of Jacob. "They don't like the smell."

"I don't care about the smell," she says. "But it would be nice to have a little kitten to curl up with me at night."

"Well, cute little kittens grow up into big, cranky cats," says her mother coming in again. "Are you going to feed a cat and change the litter box?"

"No," she says. "Probably not."

"Any cat relying on you to feed it would probably starve to death," she says. "It's time for lunch."

I follow them downstairs into a pretty green and yellow kitchen. Unlike Celine's room it is very neat and clean. But it also has all kinds of things that we never have in our kitchen at home.

There is a spice rack and canisters labeled flour, sugar, etc. the refrigerator is covered with magnets, cards, and notes. There is a calendar. I look at today's date and see my name with a heart next to it.

The table is cluttered not only with a sugar bowl and salt and peppers shakers, but all kinds of books and papers. There are flowers growing in pots near the window. Our kitchen is always spotless because no one ever uses it except to make me human food.

Mrs. Bouchard puts out salads for us, and water in a pitcher. There is a bowl of fruit on the table with apples, oranges, and bananas. Celine makes a face. But I am grateful for how thoughtful her mother is.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bouchard," I say. "All of the food looks lovely."

"I'm sorry that the kitchen is such a mess," she says. "I didn't realize that you were on a gluten free diet, so I have fresh baked bread."

"Which is delicious," says Celine, wistfully. "Are you sure that you can't eat it?"

"Dad says that I can eat anything that I want," I say. "But he also says that if I get a stomach ache then it is my own fault. But you don't have to eat like me. Please have the food that you enjoy."

Celine's frown disappears and she beams at me.

"How did you learn to be so nice?" she asks.

"My Mom and Dad are the nicest people in the world," I say. "I want to be like them."

"What about your brothers and sisters?" she asks.

I ponder for a minute. I think that my parents, aunts, and uncles are all very nice. But I am not sure of how I should feel about the, if they were my brothers and sisters. Then I think about how they argue with each other sometimes. I realize that Celine and her Mama are looking at me for an answer.

"Well," I finally say reluctantly. "Some of them are nicer than others."

Celine giggles and it looks like Mrs. Bouchard is trying not to laugh. I am puzzled by their response until she speaks.

"You are such a nice little girl that won't even say bad things about your brothers and sisters," she comments. "Celine, you are going to have to take good care of her school."

"Why?" I ask.

"Sometimes the other kids can say mean things when the teachers can't hear them," she admits. "But if you tattle on them they call you a rat. But I don't think that they will be mean to you. You're too nice."

"I guess that's good to know," I say. "I'm not used to being around kids my own age. We didn't really have many people near us where I lived."

"I heard that you lived out in Denali," says Mrs. Bouchard. "And your father took care of the Inuits and Athabascans in the wilderness."

"Yes, that's right," I say. "My Dad likes to take care of other people. He says that it makes him happy."

"Well, he sure has made a lot of people happy over at the hospital since he came to work there," she says.

I smile, but don't want to say any more. Then Celine starts talking about all of the subjects and teachers. I am really much more interested in hearing her talk, than in talking about myself. And I find out that she really likes to talk. When we are done with lunch, we go upstairs and play with her dollhouse.

"Do you have a dollhouse?" she asks.

"No," I say. "I never thought of having one. But yours is lots of fun."

Before I know it, Esme is at the door to pick me up. I feel sad to leave because I am having so much fun. When we say goodbye, Mrs. Bouchard promises that I can come back. Esme looks worried because I don't have much to say on the car ride back to the condo.

"Did you have fun?" she asks me.

"I had a lot of fun," I say. "The only human houses that I have been in before are Grandpa Charlie's, Billy's, and Emily's but this felt so different.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's hard to describe," I say. "But it really felt like a little girl lived there. It looked lived in. It wasn't so neat. And it was so different from our house."

"In what way?" she asks.

"Mostly the kitchen and the kitchen table," I say. "I mean they really use everything. They didn't look like props. I know that Celine would like to come and visit me when we move into our house, but I'm afraid that she will realize how different we are."

Esme is thoughtful for a minute.

"You really like this little girl, don't you?" she says.

I nod.

"She really wants to be my friend," I say. "I've never had another little girl for a friend before."

"Well, we get home, I want you to tell us all about your visit," she says. "And we will make sure that our house is a house where she can visit. Okay?"

"Okay!" I say, but I notice that she still looks worried.


	16. A Home Where a Friend Can Visit

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 16: A Home Where a Friend Can Visit**

When Esme arrives home with Renesmee, the whole family gathers to hear how the visit went. It was her first visit to a human home with a human friend who was not in on (or in the case of Charlie sort of in on) the family secret. It is obvious from the moment that she enters the house, that my daughter is very excited.

"Daddy!" she says a she jumps into my arms. "I have a friend! I have friend who is my own age (sort of)! And she likes me!"

"That's great, honey!" I say, as she gives me a kiss.

Then, she puts her hand on my neck to show me everything. I see the little girl and her mother. She shows me the excitement when the other girl says that they are both wearing ponchos. She shows me the girl's house, her bedroom, and she lingers over the kitchen. Then she shows me how they played with the dolls after lunch and lingers longingly over the dollhouse.

"Do you want a dollhouse?" I ask her.

She nods with a huge smile.

"Well, your birthday is coming up soon, so we will have to see what we can do about that," I say.

"I love you, Daddy!" she says as she hugs my neck.

"How did the visit go?" asks Alice.

She jumps out of my arms and goes scurrying over to Alice to show her. After she puts her hand on Alice's neck, Alice smiles.

"I see," she says. "Celine is a pretty little girl. Maybe she could come over to visit sometime and I could give you both makeovers."

"Why would we want to do that?" asks Renesmee.

"Because it will be fun!" says Alice.

"Thanks, Alice!" says Renesmee. "But I think that we would rather play with my dolls."

"But don't you want to be like big girls and play beauty parlor?" she asks.

"No, Alice," says Bella. "You're the one who still wants to play with dolls, human dolls. Remember how you used to turn me into Guinea Pig Barbie when I was human? Give them a year and then they will be begging you to show them how to put on make up and style their hair."

Alice pouts, but Renesmee just laughs. She sits down next to Bella on the couch, touches her cheek, and starts running through the same pictures that she showed me.

"So you weren't ready for the Canada or France question?" Bella asks Esme.

"It not occurred to me that anyone would ask," she admits. "But now that someone has, the answer is that we don't know. We adopted you in Chicago and that it is all, except for the part about keeping you together."

"Less said the better," I reply. "That's the kind of question that only a French-Canadian would ask anyway. Everyone else would just assume France. Please try to remember that, Renesmee."

She nods, still smiling and continues to show Bella pictures of her day.

"The Celiac's disease story is a good cover for the eating issues," Esme says. "I stayed behind to talk to Mrs. Miller. She said that if she doesn't want to bring her own food, the school cafeteria would make sure that there is food for her to eat. I must say that they are very accommodating here. To tell the truth I wasn't expecting it."

"I understood most of what the humans were talking about," says Renesmee. "And when I didn't, I nodded."

"Good girl," says Carlisle in approval.

"I think that I did very well," she says. "But why was the heated garage such a big deal?"

"It gets so cold here in the winter," explains Rosalie. "That if you don't keep your engine block warm, the oil will freeze and you won't be able to start your car. A garage around here is pretty much useless unless it is heated. There isn't a lot of snow. If you look closely around town the next time we go in, you will see posts with electrical outlets. Those are for people who will working somewhere all day or going to school."

"I wondered what those were for," says Bella.

"When Celine mentioned it, she assumed that I knew what she was talking about so I just nodded," Renesmee says. "I was happy that I didn't have to do too much nodding.

"Well, kids are pretty much the same all over," says Bella. "I think that for you will find that biggest difference will be that you have spent most of your life around adults. We just don't have to mention that they are adult vampires."

"Momma," says Renesmee. "When we move and get the house all fixed up, can Celine come over and play? I think that she was hoping that I would ask her, but I didn't want to without asking you first."

Everyone looks around at each other in silence.

"Is that a 'no'?" asks Renesmee looking downcast.

"No," says Esme slowly. "That's a 'we will have to think about it'."

"Well," says Emmett. "It would probably work if most of us weren't here. I'm thinking that Jasper and I might be a little scary. And then it could get confusing for Renesmee because Edward and Bella are really her parents and she would have to pretend that they are her brother and sister. And she can't call Rosalie 'Auntie Rose'."

"But she can still call me, Alice," says Alice brightly. "No problems here!"

"I don't know," says Jasper. "I think that Alice could be pretty scary if she comes at them with make up and nail polish."

Alice sticks her tongue out at him.

"You know," Renesmee says. "I never realized before, but our kitchen doesn't really look like a human kitchen."

"What do you mean?" asks Esme.

"Well, our kitchen is always so neat," she says. "And we don't have all that other human food stuff like spice rack and sugar and flour. And Celine's refrigerator is full of magnets and cards and pictures that she drew. The kitchen table is cluttered with books, papers, and magazines."

"That's because in a lot of human houses, the kitchen is the center of all the action," explains Bella. "For us it's just a prop to help us pretend that we are human, like the dining room table."

"Before you were born," says Emmett. "We didn't have any food in the house at all. Except when Bella came over."

"And then the wolves," adds Rosalie scrunching up her nose at the thought of the smell.

"Celine asked if we had a pet," she says, remembering that conversation. "But I said that we weren't a pet family. She doesn't have a pet either because her Mama doesn't like the smell. That made me think about how you all don't like the wet dog smell of the wolves."

"That's one thing that you should never mention," I say. "We never mention werewolves or shape shifters or anything like that."

"I know," she says. "I was just saying that I thought of it."

Then she goes skipping off to her room to read or whatever it is she does when she goes off on her own these days. Bella says that it's normal for kids that age to want have time alone.

"Well, this is new," says Carlisle. "We aren't used to humans coming to visit us."

"No," says Rosalie. "That's one of the reasons why we stick together at school. We don't really make friends (except for Edward) because we don't want anyone to expect any invitations. But I can think of a whole lot of reasons why we wouldn't want a curious, little twelve-year old girl around."

"Starting with the fact that we don't eat," says Alice. "That's a lot easier to fake at school than at home."

"Well, we could make special meals just for the girls and say that we are eating at another time," says Bella. "A lot of families don't eat together anyway. Especially if there are a lot of teenagers."

"It would also make sense if we cleared out when Renesmee had a friend over," adds Jasper. "I mean, why would a bunch of high school kids want to hang around with a couple of kids?"

"They wouldn't," says Bella. "But we don't have to worry about it too soon. After all, if you calculate how long it will take to finish the work on the house in human time, it will be quite a while. We don't want to be done with everything too quickly."

"Well, I had an interesting talk with one of the other doctors at work," says Carlisle. "He was very surprised that we weren't hiring contractors for the renovations. Especially when he heard that the boys were going to do the work themselves."

"Did you tell him that we did a lot of work like that in Alaska?" asks Emmett.

"Of course I did," he says. "It's actually pretty believable to the folks up here. They expect that people will do more for themselves, and that young men are more apt to do that kind of work than in the states where they spend most of their time playing organized sports and video games. Of course I always need to remember that you are all playing fourteen and fifteen year olds and that will have an effect on the degree of responsibility that you can publicly have."

"Jasper and I tried to play a video game once," says Emmett. "It crashed after three minutes. Those things are just way too easy for vampire reflexes."

"You know what I don't get," says Rosalie. "Usually people don't want to come too close to us. But so far, everyone that we've met has been very open and friendly. So far, I can't think of anyone who has been afraid of me."

"I've been thinking about that," I say. "And I noticed that back in Forks when I was trying to not be scary towards Bella that others would pick up on the vibe and be more okay with me. I think that we may be approaching people differently here because of Renesmee. We don't really care if we fit in or not, but we want her to fit in."

"I care," says Bella. "I spent most of my high school career as one of the outcasts."

"That's not so good," says Alice. "You are just going to have to be stuck with me as your best friend. Being friends with humans is very tricky. It's not just about what you say, but how you act. You know, we have completely different body language."

"Or lack thereof," says Emmett. "But the voice is different, so you speak a lot less than normal."

"Well, I never spoke a lot in school anyway," says Bella.

"And you are going to stick by me, right?" says Alice. "By the way, how is your French coming?"

"I can't believe how quickly I am absorbing it," she says. "I was always terrible at Spanish."

"Anything that you learn as a vampire is much easier than as a human," says Carlisle. "In school I believe that the bigger problem is knowing too much and trying not to let on that you do."

"It's not so bad the first couple of times," says Alice. "But by the tenth time, it gets to be a real drag."

"Well, then I'm glad it's the first time," says Bella. "At least I won't have to worry about falling over my own feet all the time anymore."

"No," I say. "But now you are going to have the opposite problem in gym class. You're going to be too strong and graceful. And your heightened dexterity means that you have the potential to be a great athlete. But you can't be."

"Well, I have a lot of practice being a klutz," she says with a grin. "I just have to be careful not to _really _hurt someone."

Her cell phone rings and she picks it up.

"Hi, Charlie!" she says after she looks at the caller ID.

For several minutes, she listens as he goes on about whatever he is going on about. She says yes a few times as he rambles on. But suddenly, her face drops.

"Thanks, Dad," she says hurriedly. "I'm glad to know that."

She looks around at all of us after she turns the phone off.

"Know what?" I ask.

"Jacob left La Push this morning to come up here to visit."

_**Author's Note:**__ To the reviewer who thinks that nothing happens in the Renesmee chapters and worrying about her clothing is "kindergartenish." I have five daughters who all went through seventh grade and I am a middle school teacher. Trust me, I know how to portray seventh graders. I live with them every day and I think that they are wonderful!_

_This is a whole new world for the Cullens. That is part of the point of the story. Except for Bella, it has been a long time since any of them were in middle school. In that sense, and when you consider how protective that they all are of Renesmee, their viewpoints may be humorous._


	17. Surprise!

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: Okay, my girls were home-schooled so maybe that made them less sophisticated and more sheltered. They also had very restricted television viewing. But at age 11/12 there is still a wide variation in terms of maturity and sophistication. And in real years, Renesmee is seven. So while intellectually she is probably at college level, although she is clearly not that young, she has some emotional maturity to catch up on._

**Chapter 17: Surprise!**

It is always my job to organize and decorate each new house where we move. Despite the chatter about Renesmee's meeting with her school buddy, my mind is really focused on where I plan to put the various native craft pieces in the great room. Therefore, it is a very great shock when I realize that Bella's phone call with Charlie is over and she makes her announcement.

"Jacob left La Push this morning to come up here to visit," she says in a stunned voice.

"Is Charlie sure?" asks Carlisle.

"Oh, yes," she says. "He found out from Billy who came over to complain about it today."

"What was Billy complaining about?" asks Edward.

"He thinks that Jacob is being irresponsible and needs to settle down and get a job," she replies. "Charlie thought that it was odd, because for the past seven years, Billy has been pretty content to let Jacob do whatever he wanted. But now that he has left, he isn't happy."

"Did Billy think that he was moving permanently?" asks Edward.

"Charlie just said that he was coming up for visit," says Bella. "He didn't say for how long or anything. And he never implied that he was moving up here for good."

"So that means that we have to live with the smell again?" groans Rosalie.

"No," I say. "We are going to begin setting up the cabin for him at once. We will have to tell Renesmee and she will insist on it. Then when he comes up, he will find that we are welcoming him. Although not necessarily as a guest in the house."

"He doesn't like living with 'vampire stink' anyway," says Jasper. "I don't think that he will complain."

"And we shouldn't give him anything to complain about," says Edward. "This is a huge step for him, moving away from his reservation, even if it's only temporarily. There is nothing to be gained by hurting him any further."

"Why is it such a big step?" asks Emmett.

"Even though I have seen it all the Quileute minds that I have read," says Edward. "Even I have not understood it. They feel ties to the land that we don't. Our ties are to one another, either as mates or to the coven. The Qileutes feel ties to the tribe and the land.

"The tribe is not the same as a coven, since they are mostly blood related. Even though we live in permanent residences, they are really only temporary. The ten years that we spent in Forks was excessive. But to a Quileute, it would feel like the blink of an eye."

"Do you know when he will be arriving?" I ask Bella.

"No, he took off on his motorcycle this morning," she says.

"Motorcycle?" asks Emmett. "I guess that he's not planning on spending the winter. You can't ride a motorcycle in negative forty below."

"Since the wolves run at 108.9 degrees it may not be a problem for him," says Bella. "I guess we won't know unless he stays through the winter."

"Well, he won't be able to run around half-naked then," says Alice. "What is he planning to do when he gets here?"

"Charlie didn't say," answers Bella. "I'm sure that Billy didn't tell him. In fact, Jacob probably hasn't thought through what he will do when he gets here."

"If he's traveling by motorcycle, he won't be able to travel too quickly," says Carlisle. "And he will have to sleep. I am estimating that it will take him about four days to get here. I wonder why he didn't call us. He has your cell phone number, right Bella?"

"Maybe he's planning on calling from the road," she shrugs. "Esme, won't we be moved into the new house by then?"

"Yes," she says. "And school will be starting up the next day. He will probably be so tired that he will be sleeping most of the time for the first two days or so."

"He may be even more tired than that," says Bella. "I don't think that he has gotten much sleep since we left. And if Billy was complaining about him to Charlie, it means that he's probably been going through hell with the Council of Elders."

"It must have been a terrible choice to have to make," says Edward. "Between the tribe and Renesmee."

"Since when do you care so much about Jacob's feelings?" asks Emmett.

"My feelings about Jacob are very complex," admits Edward. "There have been several times that I have been very grateful to him, especially when he risked his own life to save my wife and child. But then there are other times when he just drove me crazy."

"You don't want him as a son-in-law, do you?" asks Emmett.

"At the moment, I have no need to worry about that," Edward says. "When Jacob sees and talks to Renesmee, he will realize that his role in her life is still as her brother and protector. That's how the imprinting works. But we really don't know how much Renesmee will mature over the course of the year. Will going to school among the young children hold her back? Will her emotional maturity catch up? We have no paradigm to follow."

"I was not really able to ascertain what the exact point was that Nahuel and his sisters were fully 'matured,' such as they were," adds Carlisle. "In speaking with them, I felt that they were of a maturity equal to all of yours, which in human years extends from seventeen to twenty. But it is difficult to compare because their cultural upbringing was so completely unlike yours.

"The only way to know would have been if Joham had kept detailed diaries of their progress. Although with his vampire ability to hold such things in his memory, it is not surprising that he wrote nothing down. It was too bad that the Volturi eliminated him before I could speak with him."

"Better him than us," mutters Rosalie.

"Agreed," I say. "I feel that we need to tell Renesmee that Jacob is coming as soon as possible. Just because she hasn't been asking about him doesn't mean that she has been thinking about him."

"She has been thinking about him," replies Edward. "He is never far from her thoughts. Sometimes she makes a point of remembering things so that she can tell him. Other times she is thinking of new things that she wants to show him. She wants to ask his opinions of different things. She might not mention him, but he is there."

"Great," says Rosalie. "Just when I thought that we were free of him."

"Rose," Edward says. "Like it or not, Jacob has been a very important part of her life since she was born. Now she may have found out some things about him that disappointed her, but none of it was enough to turn her mind against him. And discovering that someone you love isn't perfect is all a part of the process of falling more in love.

"You really can only love someone that you accept as an imperfect being. Truly loving someone means that you recognize the imperfections and love them as a part of the person."

"Since when did you get to be such an expert on love?" asks Rosalie.

"I can read minds, can't I?" he says. "I have spent the last ninety years observing the whole 'falling in love phenomenon' from afar. And living it added another layer of understanding. But imprinting is not the same as falling in love. There is a platonic aspect to it, which is not always evident between partners of roughly the same age. Jacob has never had what you might call one impure thought regarding Renesmee."

"I can't believe that you are suddenly on his side," she says bitterly.

"Rose," says Bella. "You know that my feelings for Jacob are complicated too. When I first found out that he had imprinted I wanted to kill him. And I might have done it if Seth hadn't stopped me when I learned about the nickname. But Edward and I have talked for a long time about this. We decided that we are on Renesmee's side."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" asks Alice.

"Well," says Edward. "Once upon a time, I had to deal with Charlie when I was courting Bella. He really hated me. It was even worse for me because I could read his mind, so I knew what he was really thinking when he was trying to be nice to me. Basically, he hated me."

"But you don't hate Jacob," says Alice.

"No, I don't," he says. "But sometimes he thinks that I do. When we told him that we were moving he immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was all about him. But it wasn't. I'm not sorry at all that he is coming up. In fact, Bella and I decided that it would be better if he came up. Then he would a have a chance to see what our lives were like and Renesmee's life and be able to, shall we say, draw and informed conclusion."

"You're right of course," says Carlisle. "If he sees the reality versus the theory, it will give him a better idea of what our lives are like. And I knew that Charlie disliked you, but I never realized that his feelings were so strong."

"He had good reason," says Edward. "The first time he met me, I promised that I would take good care of Bella. Then she ran away from home and ended up in the hospital Phoenix. Then after I leave in September, she goes into a deep depression. Six months later she disappears for three days. I don't think that he ever got an excuse for that."

"He didn't," Bella interrupts.

"Charlie was very unhappy when we got married," he continues. "Then when we finally 'returned' from our honeymoon, she has been changed and we now have a rapidly growing child. I would say that Charlie was definitely pushed to his limits and beyond. Compared with all that, Jacob has done nothing but love and protect Renesmee since she was born."

"What happens if he tries to take her away?" asks Rosalie. "Like when Bella went away with you and Alice."

"He won't," says Edward. "And he won't be able to. What you have to realize is that the two times that Bella disappeared; it was her own decision. But Renesmee would not decide that."

"How can you be sure?" she persists.

"Because I identify with Renesmee," says Bella. "And my feelings for Edward were completely different than hers are for Jacob. I was in love and ready to follow him anywhere. Renesmee is not 'in love' with Jacob. But I was always torn apart by the fact that Charlie, and to a lesser extent Renee, were not happy that he was my choice. Neither one ever said it, but I know that part of it had to do with how different we were."

"That was a lot of it with Charlie," says Edward. "His sixth sense told him that I was nothing like his daughter, but he could never put his finger on what the difference was. Then when it mattered, he decided that he didn't want to know the details. He was just happy to have Bella in his life."

"I just don't want Renesmee to feel the way that I did while Edward and I were dating," says Bella. "And if, when she finally does mature, she chooses Jake we will accept him with the respect and kindness that he deserves. Besides, if it's not Jacob, she may fall in love with someone else and want to leave."

"And I wouldn't want to stop her," says Carlisle. "I think that you two have really discussed this thoroughly and drawn some very good conclusions. None of you are forced to be with us. And while we all hope that when she is old enough to choose, Renesmee will choose to stay with the family, it would not be right to take that choice away from her."

"I know that you're right," admits Rosalie. "But it's a whole lot easier for me to agree with you in theory than in practice."

"Well, if we have all accepted that this is the course that we will choose," says Carlisle. "I think that someone should tell Renesmee that Jacob is coming."

"Why don't Bella and I do that?" I say. "We don't want to all gang up on her."

"That makes sense," says Edward. "I would want to be present, but she would probably think that I was there to ambush her thoughts."

"That sounds good to me," replies Bella standing up. "Why don't we do it now?"

"Let's go," I say, as I walk in the direction of Renesmee's room.

"You know," says Bella as we are standing outside of Renesmee's room. "Sometimes it's no so easy to parent by committee. It's hard to remember that everyone is just as invested in Renesmee's happiness as Edward and me."

"Well," I say. "You still are her parents and it's not fair for _you _to feel squeezed out by everyone else's opinions. Everything will work out in the end. It usually does."

She grimaces and knocks in the door.

"Renesmee," she says. "May Esme and I come in?"

"Sure, Momma," says Renesmee, as she opens the door.

"Renesmee," says Bella. "We have some good news for you."

"What is it?" she asks, but doesn't look particularly interested as she picks up a book.

"I was just talking to Grandpa Charlie and he told me that Jacob left La Push today on his motorcycle to come up here for a visit," says Bella.

Renesmee's head pops up and her eyes are shining.

"My Jacob is coming?" she asks. _"Here?"_

"Yes, he is," I say.

"I knew it would work!" she says happily.

"Knew what would work?" I ask.

"I decided that my problem was that I was thinking about him too much and pestering everyone with too many questions," she explains. "And then I remembered that Sue told me once that a watched kettle never boils. And she was right. I stopped thinking about him and now he's coming!"

"I'm glad that you're so happy about it!" says Bella.

"Oh, I am! I am!" she replies enthusiastically. "Esme, we need to get his cabin ready. Can we go to the Trading Post to look for some things? I know that he would like them."

"Of course, we can, dear," I say with a smile. "Now that I have the truck, we load it up right there and bring our things directly to the cabin."

"Esme," says Bella. "I don't think that you should talk about loading anything up. I think that we should bring Emmett and Edward and let them pretend that they are working to lift everything with difficulty."

"That's going to be funny!" says Renesmee. "Emmett hates to act human."

"Well, he better get used to it," says Bella. "In five days we will all be in school and acting human."

"Can we go tomorrow?" asks Renesmee.

"I think that we need to do some work on the cabin before we bring anything in," I say. "I would like to see it painted, check out he of an the floors, and make sure that the appliances are all in working order."

"Okay," she says. "Day after tomorrow?"

_"Probably," _I reply. "But I can't make any promises until I see how the other work is going. We ripped out some of the walls in the house and need to get the glass. That's the nice thing about living here rather than Forks. It never rains. When we were renovating the Forks house we had to keep stopping every time there was steady rain."

"I'm not a big fan of rain either," says Bella. "But now that I'm a vampire, I don't have to worry about the cold anymore. Hey, Renesmee! Maybe we can do some of the painting ourselves. I'm no good with carpentry."

"You would help me fix up the house for Jacob?" she asks.

"Of course," says Bella. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," she answers. "But sometimes it feels like you are mad at him."

"Sometimes I am mad at him," she says. "But Jake has been making me mad ever since I met him. And I used to make him mad at me. Jacob has always been kind of like the brother I never had. And brothers and sisters may love each, but they also fight with each other too."

"I think that Jacob is like my brother too," she says. "Just think. Now I am going to have four brothers and three sisters!" Wow!"

"Well," I say. "Jacob is a little to old looking to pass for high school. He's twenty-three, but he even looks older than that."

"When he was sixteen and I was eighteen, he used to brag that he was really older than me," says Bella. "Mostly because I was a weak, pale face, who was the biggest klutz in Forks. He said that he looked twenty-five."

"Well, we are going to tell everyone that Jacob is our friend from Alaska," I add. "And hopefully we can tell _him _that before he talks to anyone. You know hiw curious all the folks in town are."

"It would have been nice if he would have called to let us know he was coming," grumbles Bella.

Renesmee laughs.

"I guess that you're thinking that he's your brother again," she says cheerfully.

"My annoying brother," she replies.

I am amazed by how much the news of Jacob's visit has made Renesmee perk up. I am glad that Edward and Bella have decided to welcome him. The rest of them should be fine with it once they get used to it. The only one who will be disgruntled is Rosalie. However, Carlisle and I will have a long talk with her. I don't want her ruining this for Renesmee.


	18. Charade

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: Thanks to all my great reviewers who are helping me find my way through this story. I think that I am finally getting it to the point that I am hitting the right tone. I am very grateful to the anonymous reviewer who really broke things down for me, and as usual, to Jessica, who is always honest with her constructive criticism, without being nasty about it. And thanks Elizabeth - for keeping it real. Vobis omnibus gratias ago!_

**Chapter 18: Charade**

It is something of a relief to know that Jacob is on his way up. I knew, even if the others were hoping that he wouldn't come, that he wouldn't be able to stay away. Of course, I have been listening to his thoughts for the last eight years, so I know him better than anyone, even Bella. But hopefully the main drama is over and we can all settle into our new lives.

I think that Rosalie was disappointed when Esme and Bella told us that Renesmee thought of him as a brother (like Bella did). I don't know exactly what she wanted to hear, but the rest of us were just relieved. And the knowledge that

Renesmee is much happier also makes me happy.

In some ways, the whole situation reminded me of those times when Jacob would refuse to talk to Bella or call her after we returned from Italy. It was at those times that Bella felt at a loss because she missed her best friend. Renesmee now feels the same way. Jacob is her best friend and the brother she will never have. Will those feelings change in the future? I don't know. But Carlisle is right.

He has never forced any of us to stay in the coven, the family. Why should Renesmee be denied that same freedom when she is old enough to choose for herself? I suppose that part of the problem is that because all of us, except for Bella, have been frozen for so long that we have forgotten what it is like to grow up.

And of course with the exception of Jasper, none of us had left home yet ourselves during our human lives. Alice's experience was so unique, that you can't compare it to anyone else's.

I'm not sorry that we changed our plans quickly and left Forks after one day rather than one week. We have had a lot to do up here to get the house ready in time for school. Rather sitting around Forks worrying about how Jacob is reacting to the move, we have just moved and engaged in some positive forward motion for ourselves.

And I think that everyone has benefited from the "cooling off period," so to speak. Emotions were running much too high back in Forks. While we had all known that Carlisle was building towards some kind of a decision like this. But it was still a surprise to actually be sitting down and voting and then moving. If our vampire minds felt suddenly overwhelmed, Jacob's mind went into overdrive.

And if he reacted too unreasonably, well, our behavior wasn't much better. Insults and demands were flying back and forth on both sides. Things are now settling in to where they were before the drama. None of them have changed their feelings towards him. Whether someone liked or disliked him, they have reverted back to those original feelings with none any stronger than before.

My own change in feelings has my to do with the changes in my own life circumstances, and nothing to do with Jacob. I haven't been to high school in seven years. In the intervening years, I have become a married man and a father. And I have been living as such. It will be difficult to set those experiences aside and become the fourteen-year old boy that I have been before.

But Jasper has certainly had the same kinds of struggles. After all, he was a major in the Texas cavalry for crying out loud. Then he was Maria's lieutenant, in charge of training and then killing newborns. How weird was it for him to sit in a twentieth century classroom for the first time in the mid-nineteen-sixties? He was learning about the history that he lived.

He has never had that much trouble adapting. Of course, he was so worried about wanting to slaughter the whole school that maintaining the facade was just a part of the great control that he always kept over his thirst. Alice is trying to convince him now to hunt more frequently and give up these crazy bets that he keeps making with himself.

But some of us, like Carlisle, are very pleased with the positive effect that the move has had on the quality of their lives. Carlisle is once again practicing medicine among humans who need his skills. Practicing medicine is what brings him joy.

When he enters the house every night, his mind is filled with the challenges of the day, the patients that he had treated, and the coworkers who are treating him with respect. His situation here is actually _better _than it was in Forks.

Esme is heaven, renovating and redesigning the house. We've repainted the exterior in a soft yellow with white trim. The inside is once again filled with her favorite white and beige tones, however the great room is now filled with accents of the brighter red and black of the Native American artwork.

Because the grand piano no longer fits in with this decor, now there is a music room on the west side to house it. The room has been fitted with a glass wall. I know that Renesmee and I will enjoy many happy hours playing in there.

Esme has been playing her human role very well. Whenever she buys a piece of furniture or some other heavy item, she asks one of the kids hanging out in the street to load it into the truck for her. Then she pays them very well.

None of them ever think to say, "No thank you, ma'am," when she offers them the money, Most of the kids up here don't have jobs so they are always glad to pick up a little pocket money. I think that some of them have started to look out for her truck whenever she comes to town.

The day that she went to get new appliances for the cabin, a couple of boys really hit the jackpot. Typical Esme, none of the appliances already in there were up to her specs, so she decided to refit the whole kitchen. Bella laughed when she finished the room, saying that Jacob would have been content with a hot plate and a mini fridge.

But now the cabin actually looks like a nice little two room apartment. All of the bathroom fixtures are new and there is even a washer and dryer. The only place that she didn't splurge was a dishwasher. Even she had to admit that one person (or even two when Sue and Charlie came to visit) wouldn't need one. And it would not have fit in the galley kitchen.

I went with Esme, Bella, and Renesmee to the Trading Post, on the day that Renesmee went to pick out the furnishings and decorations. Before we went, we warned her that she didn't need to go crazy. And we told her that she had to be careful about the way that she talked about Jacob. We were also planning on laying the groundwork for his arrival.

We still hadn't heard directly from him. After a great deal of debate, Bella tried calling his cell phone. All she got was a recording of Billy's voice explaining that Jacob was no longer in possession of his phone and that he would only be getting it back when he came to his senses and returned home. Bella flinched when she listened to it.

"He's very bitter," she remarks. "I think that even is even worse than Charlie was about you."

"Don't forget that for a while, Charlie had you on house arrest," I say. "The only reason that I saw you outside of school was because I could climb in the window."

"Well, the punishment was directed at me, but you were really the one that he wanted to get at," she reminds me. "He was initially furious at me, but he was also very relieved that I was safe you were a very convenient target for his anger."

"Yes, I was," I admit. "But I really was relieved that he wasn't mad at you for long. I could take his wrath pretty easily."

"I can't remember Grandpa Charlie ever not liking you, Daddy," says Renesmee.

"Well, he did," I reply. "But we are almost at the Trading Post, so don't forget to call me Edward."

"Don't worry, _Edward!" _she says mischievously. "I'll remember."

"Just let me introduce the topic of Jacob," says Esme. "And keep your remarks to his preferences about decor. Do you understand, Renesmee? This could be a touchy situation."

"I'll let you know if either Lily or Tabitha starts to think it's a little weird," I tell her. "Then you can make an excuse to leave before things get out of hand."

"We don't want to say too much that would be seen as an inconsistency when he arrives," adds Bella. "You got that?"

"Yes, Momma, I mean, Sissy," says Renesmee with a giggle.

"Or you can just say 'hey you', so that you don't mess up," says Bella.

Esme pulls up in the Mercedes to park in front of the store. Her plan is to let Renesmee pick things out and not chat for too long. She will come to pick them up later today or tomorrow. We have become such good customers that Lily will do anything to keep us coming back.

"Hello, Cullens!" says Lily as we walk in. "How is everyone today?"

"Very well, thank you," says Esme. "We need to look around for a few things."

"Please, don't let me stop you," replies Lily. "Renesmee, I heard that you met little Celine Bouchard yesterday. Did you have fun at her house?"

"How did you know?" asks Renesmee.

"There are no secrets in Whitehorse," she laughs. "Sylvie stopped into the diner and ran into Tabitha. Naturally they got to talking about _our _favorite customers and Celine's new friend."

"She called me her friend?" asks Renesmee, now getting excited.

"Why wouldn't she?" asks Tabitha walking in. "You're a sweet little girl and so is she. Her mother shelters her a little too much from popular culture so it makes it hard for her to fit in at school. But Sylvie definitely approves of you and your good manners and healthy diet."

"I like Celine too," says Renesmee. "We have a lot in common. In fact, we were both wearing ponchos that we bought here."

"Well that is a very important thing," says Tabitha trying not to smile too broadly.

"Renesmee," says Bella. "Why don't you come over her and look at these wall hangings?"

"Sure, Sissy," she says cheerfully.

"Sissy?" asks Tabitha.

"Bella is our newest family member," I explain. "Renesmee and I have really gotten to be very protective of her. You know, trying to help her fit in. She is very shy. Renesmee calls her Sissy to show that she looks at her like a real sister."

"That's very sweet of her," says Tabitha. "But don't they other kids like her?"

"They love her, but the older ones intimidate her a little," I explain. "Alice has managed to break through as well. She's my other adopted sister"

"Boy, your family is so interesting that you need a scorecard to keep track of the players," she comments.

"Well, we try to keep it simple," I reply. "We're all just brothers and sisters."

"You all are so impressive to be so accepting of each other," says Tabitha. "You really are all very special."

From the other side of the room, I hear Esme talking to Lily.

"Yes," she is saying. "We decided to get to work on the cabin. Our friend Jacob is coming up for a visit and we don't want him to have to live in the mess of the renovations over at the house."

"Now is he your friend from Alaska?" asks Lily.

"Well, we met him in a Alaska," answers Esme. "But he's actually from Washington State, somewhere on the Olympic peninsula."

"He's a Quileute, did you say?" Lily asks. "I've never heard if them."

"They're apparently a very small tribe," comments Esme. "This is very nice. Bella do you think that Jacob would like this rug for the living room?"

"Yes, it's the kind of thing that he would like," replies Bella. "But you don't need to go to too much trouble. He struck me as kind of a simple guy."

"Yes," nods Esme.

The conversation leaves Jacob and the family, and returns to decorating. Once again, Esme pulls out her sketch pad with the outline of the room and begins to try out different arrangements.

"You have a real talent for this kind of thing," says Lily. "Have you ever thought of going into interior design?"

"Oh it's just a hobby of mine," answers Esme casually. "Something to keep me busy when I'm not taking care of the seven kids."

"Well, they are getting older and more independent," says Lily. "You should think about starting up something here. You know, for people moving in and these little businesses that keep popping up."

"Mother is just trying to generate more business," laughs Tabitha. "But with your artistic talent, you could probably make a go of it."

"I'll consider it," says Esme quickly to end the conversation. "Why don't you write up the order and I'll come by and pick them up later in the truck?"

"Sure," says Lily agreeably.

"Where is Aurora?" asks Renesmee suddenly.

"She's at work," says Tabitha. "Do you want me to tell her that you said hey?"

"Yes, please," answers Renesmee.

After we leave the store and get into the truck, Esme says, "I think that went well."

"Yes, it did," I reply with a grin. "Lily and Tabitha won't give Jacob a second thought other than to tell the whole town that he is coming."

"It's better than him just showing up and everyone wondering who he is, where he's from, and how he is related to the family," responds Esme. "They will just say, 'oh it's that Jacob fellow coming to see the Cullens'."

"True," I admit. "It's much better than speculation."

"Anything is better than that," she says emphatically. "Were you listening, Bella and Renesmee? You keep it simple and move on quickly. Don't be evasive or people will think that you're hiding something. And stay as close to the truth as possible. It keeps you from confusing your stories."

"Yes, ma'am," say Bella and Renesmee at the same time.

They look at each other and giggle, just like sisters, two years apart in age. I think that this charade may just work.

**Author's Note: There will be day between updates. Things are at a critical point in my other story "Jewel in the Crown" and I have a busy day at school. Oh, yeah, I'm a teacher and sometimes that has to come first. (Just kidding, it **_**always**_** comes first.)**


	19. Our New Home

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's note: Thanks for the tip about the POV. I have to keep remembering to be explicit and up front about who the narrator is for each chapter._

**Chapter 19: Our New Home**

"Esme," says Carlisle as he puts his arms around my waist from behind. "I'm off to work."

You like the sound of that, don't you?" I ask.

"Of course," he says. "As much as you like the sound of the words, 'you've created another happy home for us.'"

"Have a good day at work, dear," I reply.

With a kiss on the cheek, he cheerfully waves goodbye. I look around and feel a deep sense of satisfaction.

This is my thing. I am the official creator of house and home for the family. I am never happier than that moment when I realize that we are settled into a new house and living together again. That is where the transformation takes place from a house to a home.

As usual, we are able to get the house organized very quickly once the plans are implemented. Of course, to the people in town, we are camping out in various sections of the house as we work through it, painting and renovating as we go. As long as no one visits for another six weeks, it won't be a problem. And of course that is the crux of the problem. For the first time, there may actually be human visitors in the house.

It has taken me some time to realize that the relationships that I am forming in town could result in more visitors. Naturally, Lily and Tabitha want to come and see what I've done with the place. That is to be expected. And Renesmee's little friend will have her visit or play date, as they call them. Some of Carlisle's colleagues at work have also been dropping hints.

The renovations in the house have provided a great opportunity for us to reconnect with one another. We are all working around the clock, except for Renesmee who needs to sleep. At night, Bella or Rosalie stay with her at the condo in town while she sleeps. The rest of us out at the house are laughing and joking as we turn the shabby old motel into a work of art.

Within a few days, the character of the house has really taken shape. I have decided that the great room would be the central area of the house where we would entertain visitors. Rosalie has teased me that it looks more like an art gallery than a home, but I have decided that there was no reason why we shouldn't have public space and private space.

The rooms that are directly off of the great room are semi-private. These are the library, the music room, the dining room, Carlisle's study and home office, etc. The other areas of the house can only be accessed by closed stairways or locked doors. But there is no reason for anyone to go but those points. To everyone's amusement, Bella insisted that we include a bathroom to meet the human needs of our new friends.

The living arrangements, since they would seem very odd to an outsider, are kept behind closed doors in the private areas of the house. I am sure that no one would approve if they knew that Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, and Bella and Edward, were all sharing bedrooms. Then of course, Renesmee lives upstairs with her real parents.

I suspect that the folks, who visit, may be looking for house tours, but they will be disappointed. No one is going to get any further than the kitchen, which is the last room before Carlisle's and my wing. Renesmee had a great deal of fun decorating the refrigerator with things the way that her little friend's had been. And we went to the grocery together to get more props to make it look more like a working kitchen.

The only thing that I would not indulge her in was the clutter aspect. Bella tried to support her by saying that almost all human homes were filled with stuff all over. However, I told her that she and the others could clutter up their own areas of the house as much as they liked. The public spaces would remain clean.

Once we moved our things in from storage, the house really began to take shape as a home. It is only natural that one likes to be surrounded by one's own possessions. None of us were too sad to say goodbye to the condo, when the last of the moving was completed.

The cabin also turned out well. When Jacob arrives, he will have no reason to think that he is not welcome. In fact, Bella and Renesmee have already stocked the refrigerator and pantry with his favorite (mostly non-perishable) foods. The bed is the only thing that might puzzle an outsider. To accommodate his extra large size, we purchased a king-sized bed.

This bed takes up such a large space in the bedroom, that we had to push out one of the walls so that it would fit. There was still barely enough room for a dresser, but it doesn't look too crowded. I had never had the opportunity to visit Jacob's home when we lived in Forks, but Bella tells me that this will be the most comfortable place that he had ever lived. And the bedroom is certainly much larger than his is at home.

Outside, Edward has thoughtfully constructed a heated, shed-like garage for him to store his motorcycle in. It is really much larger than is needed for the bike. I have this feeling that Edward plans to furnish it with something larger than a motorcycle. It only took him a night to build and when he was done, Bella and I stand outside admiring his handiwork.

"That's a little big for a motorcycle," I remark.

"Well, I know that Jacob likes to work with his hands," he says casually. "I left plenty of room for him to set up a shop if he likes."

"There's more than enough room for that," comments Bella.

I can see that she is thinking along the same lines that I am. Edward looks at me sheepishly.

"Okay," he says. "I figured that the motorcycle isn't such a good idea for travel up here in winter. I've ordered a pickup truck from town that I am picking up later. I figure that even if he doesn't stay, it will be good to have for Charlie and Sue when they come to visit. You know, it will be more convenient than renting them a car."

"And it's an excuse for you to buy another vehicle," says Bella. "How many does this make, ten?"

"Who's counting?" asks Edward with a grin.

"Well, any normal humans who come here are going to be bowled over by that big garage," answers Bella. "They are going to be floored by the fact that we have nine cars, one motorcycle, and two drivers."

"That's not a problem," I say. "Carlisle has already put the story out at the hospital that he is a collector."

"You do think of everything," says Bella shaking her head.

"I really wish that Jacob would call," says Edward. "If he's going to find us once he gets here, he's going to have to start asking questions in town."

"He doesn't have a phone," says Bella.

"Believe it or not," replies Edward. "There are still pay phones around. And he could call collect."

"With Jacob," says Bella. "You can't assume that he will think of something like that. And remember, he's not even sure of the reception that he is going to receive when he gets here. Things were pretty tense when we last saw him."

"Well, hopefully now that he has had time to reconsider things," answers Edward. "And that he will be willing to see reason. When he sees how things are up here, he will realize that far from trying to exclude him from the family, we are welcoming him. And that we will not try to prevent him from seeing Renesmee, but we want her to get a shot at a normal life for a short time."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, she is still growing," he replies. "Not only is there some kind of physical growth going on, she is also maturing. This will be her one shot to 'be' this age. The next time around, she will be in high school like the test of us. I want her to enjoy this time."

"I hadn't thought of that," says Bella. "It will be hard for her to make human friends and then have to leave them."

"It would be harder for her to maintain, let's say, a twenty-year friendship when she never ages," he replies practically. "I wish that it wasn't this way, but it is."

"Well, I for one, am not going to worry about it," I say. "You all start school in two days and there are things to get ready. For one thing, later this morning, we will need to go over to the schools and pick up your textbooks and get supply lists."

"And we will need to get Renesmee a backpack," adds Bella. "I suggest that we go to that wilderness outfitter in town and get something very sturdy."

When we return to the main house, we that Rosalie and Renesmee have returned from the condo for the last time.

"I think that we should just take the truck over and pick up the last of our stuff," she is saying. "The loudest work is finished here so she won't have any trouble sleeping. It makes more sense for us to be all together out here."

"You'll get no arguments from me," says Emmett. "I've missed having you here all the time."

He ruffles her hair and she automatically pulls away.

"Oh, come on!" he says. "What is it with you and the hair? For eighty years you have insisted on keeping it in pristine condition, so to speak."

"It's a girl thing," says Alice in Rosalie's defense. "Rose has gorgeous hair. Why wouldn't she want to keep it in place?"

"Bella doesn't make a fuss over her hair," he replies.

Alice rolls her eyes.

"Bella doesn't care about _anything _related to style and fashion," she shoots back. "She's a hopeless cause."

"Or a hopeful one," says Edward. "Sorry, bros, but I got the easiest wife to live with when it comes to all that girly stuff.

"Alice can be as girly as she wants," says Jasper in defense of his mate. "Just as long as she doesn't try to make me girly."

"This is getting ridiculous," I say. "Kids, why don't you all go off to your own areas and unpack?"

"We're done," says Alice smugly.

"Actually," says Jasper. "I have only put the boxes into my Civil War room. I still need to unpack them."

After he leaves, Emmett says, "Well, we won't see him for the rest of the day."

"I think that it's great that he collects all of those things," I reply. "Carlisle has a lot of his own artifacts from his life throughout the centuries. They are both older than us and have seen more of the world."

"I think that Jasper finds immersing himself in the world to which he was born to be very therapeutic," says Edward. "If he hadn't run into Maria, he would have continued to fight in that war. And who knows if he would have lived or died at the end?

"It is interesting to read his thoughts whenever he has to study that time period again in high school. No matter how many times he hears the lectures, he is always avidly listening to try and gain insight."

"What do you like to learn in high school, Emmett?" asks Alice.

"Science and math are kind of cool," he says. "But not wimpy science like biology. I like physics."

"What about chemistry?" Bella asks.

"That's not so bad," he shrugs. "But physics is a man's science."

"Hah!" says Rosalie. "That's why I'm the one with the engineering degree in the family."

"I could have had a couple of those," says Emmett.

"Why haven't you ever finished a college degree?" asks Bella curiously.

"Go ahead and tell her, Emmett," urges Rosalie. "See if it makes any more sense to her than it does to us."

"You see, Bella," he explains. "I just like to learn new stuff. And if I get a degree then it would feel like I am done learning. But I'm not. So why get a degree if I'm going to keep learning?"

"That makes sense," she says slowly. "I guess. But biology is _not _a wimpy science."

"To each his own," says Edward. "I'm thirsty. Who wants to go hunting?"

Everyone but Renesmee wants to go, so I decide to stay back with her. I can see that she is in a thoughtful mood. Before he goes, I look at Edward and he nods. She's thinking about Jacob and worrying about what will happen when he comes. I incline my head and he gives me another brief nod. He wants me to reassure her that everything will be well.

After they are gone, we go up to her bedroom to continue her unpacking process. If any room in the house has the potential to be cluttered, it is hers.

"Normally when we pack," I comment. "We weed out all the things that we don't need or want anymore."

"That makes sense," she says. "I have more toys than I can possibly play with. And some of my books are too babyish for me. But I hate to get rid of them."

"Why don't you pick out those books that are the most special to you," I say. "And we can give the rest to Lily and Tabitha to bring up to the children in the First Nations villages."

"And some of the toys," she says. "But not the dolls."

"Of course not," I say remembering what she told me about Celine and the dolls.

We work for several minutes in silence shifting things around in the packing boxes. Renesmee picks up her battered, old stuffed wolf pup and places it on the bed.

"When do you think that Jacob will be here?" she asks.

"Carlisle estimates tomorrow," I say. "But it would be nice if he would call."

"Maybe he's afraid that if he calls, we will leave," she says.

"Well, that would be foolish," I say. "We told him where we were going. And we've talked to Charlie since we've been here. I'm sure that Jacob would have heard that we are exactly where we said that we would be."

"I guess," she says. "But everyone was so angry the last time that we talked to him. It was kind of scary. Even you and Momma were scared"

"I think that all of the anger is over, at least on our part," I say. "Look at the great job that we did setting up the cabin. And Edward has built a shed for him to put his motorcycle in and use as a shop. It kind of like that he had at home, only it's heated."

"Yeah, and much nicer" she says. "That's great. Auntie Rose and I saw it when we drive in. But isn't it a little big?"

"Edward ordered a pickup truck for him from the car dealer in town," I reply. "Even if he doesn't want to use it, Charlie and Sue can use it when they visit so that they don't have to rent a car."

"Daddy thinks of everything," she says. "Even though Jacob was yelling at him, he is still nice to him."

"Let's try to not be too hard on Jacob about the yelling," I reply. "He was very surprised to learn that we were leaving. And unfortunately, he took it personally. I think that when he gets up here, he will see that our leaving had nothing to do with him."

"Everyone is very happy to be here," she agrees. "And it's not because Jacob isn't here. Carlisle is very happy to be a doctor again and you like fixing up the house."

"And we are all together again," I add. "And that is the most important thing of all."

"Yes, it is," she says. "And once Jacob is here, then everything will be perfect."

Maybe, I think to myself. But things will be different for both of them. Renesmee's world will no longer revolve around Jacob and the family. It will be interesting to see how she takes to school and how it changes her. And then Jacob is going to have to learn to share her with this new dimension to her life.

Up to this point, his direction in life has been completely focused on her. As schoolgirl, she will be in classes all day, have homework, begin taking her dance lessons, and have other children to play with.

Jacob is going to have to find something to do with his time or he could go crazy up here. I remember that the last time we were living Alaska there were all kinds of stories about how some humans really struggled to live in such an unforgiving climate.

In the winter months, the daylight is more of an extended twilight than an actual daylight. The sun comes up for a few hours a day and then hovers on the horizon. If you are busy with the day-to-day business, of living, working, and going to school, it doesn't matter so much. You just do those things in darkness. But if you don't have anything to occupy yourself with, I imagine that it could get very depressing.

As vampires, when we lived in Alaska, the short days of winter never bothered us. In fact they made it easier for us to go about our daily lives. But Jacob is mostly human and will feel the lack of light differently than we do. We have no idea of what it will mean for Renesmee, but she will have a new and exciting life to enjoy.

We are all assuming that Jacob is coming up to permanently join us, but I know that there is still is a strong possibility that this is just a visit. Still, the message that Billy recorded for his cell phone voicemail, indicates that although the move may not be permanent, it will probably be more than a visit.

I sigh. The best part about Jacob not being around has been the lack of dog odor in the house. However since he has a house close by with it's own kitchen and comfortable bed, there is no reason for him to eat out of our kitchen or sleep on the couch.

The great room has plenty of space for him to spread out when he visits so there will be no reason for him to be anywhere other than there. I will check with Carlisle, but I don't think that is too unreasonable a request. And if he likes, we will return the favor by keeping our "vampire stink" out of his living quarters.

I am not just thinking about us as I consider my options. I am hoping to make things easier for Jacob. I know that when he arrives that he is likely to be hypersensitive to the snide remarks that he once cheerfully ignored or answered back with his own sarcastic comment. i want to do my best to make him feel comfortable, but he is going to have to be willing to do his part.

The atmosphere in the house has taken on a feeling of home. It is nice to once again be in a place where we don't have to watch every word and move. The rooms are all light and airy now. Wherever we go, I try to build in the glass walls. Once we have finished unpacking, Renesmee goes off to the music room to play the piano. I wander over to Jasper's memorabilia room to see how things are going.

"Need any help?" I ask as I walk in.

"No, thank you," he answers. "I really enjoy doing this myself. That's why Alice was happy to go out hunting with the others. She knew that I would be completely absorbed in this for the next few hours."

"Does it seem very odd to you that the objects of your human life have now become museum pieces?" I ask.

"About fifty years ago it did," he replies. "The kind of life that I lived with Maria pretty much kept me immune to many of the changes in the human world. We didn't interact with humans other than to kill them. And we really didn't care about their lives and how they lived."

"Once I began to travel with Peter and Charlotte in the north, I could really see huge differences from my own human life," he replies. "Since they were both much younger than me, they helped me to adjust to all the forms of technology that really changed human lives. But that was only half of it.

"The other half was learning that my human life _was _now relegated to the history books. Right before I met Alice in Philadelphia, I had been to the battlefield at Gettysburg. I spent hours there, checking out the field and the small museum. Since then, as you know, I've done some more exploring of the old battlefields.

"And of course I've read all the books that I have been able to find about the war, it's political, social, and economic causes and the personalities involved. It amazing how little I knew about what I was getting myself into when I signed up."

"I suppose that most young men feel that way about the wars in which they fight." I reply. "But tell me. Are you really happy living this life now? You are so taciturn most of the time that it's difficult to tell."

"I am very happy," he says. "And not just because of Alice. It's because I have a home and a family and I don't have to fight in any more wars. And even if we move around every five years or so I always have this to remind me of where I come from."

He sweeps his hand around the room and smiles.

"And I have all of you," he finishes. "My family. And in my mind, you can't separate your family from your home. In that sense, it doesn't matter where we physically moved to. That place was going to be home as long as it is with all of you."

He turns his attention back to his interesting collection of belt buckles. I walk away thinking about how lucky we are to have both him and Alice. How many times would he have died for us if he had to? I can see why he continues to struggle so hard to maintain the diet that is the core philosophy of our existence. He wants to stay with all of us at home.

I walk back out into the great room and I am pleased that the acoustics are such that the music that Renesmee is playing is clear as a bell. I smile, pick up a sketchbook, and sit down to enjoy my new home.

**Author's note: In the next chapter Jacob rides into town.**


	20. The Long Ride

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 20: The Long Ride**

One thing that I had not counted on when I started my journey from La Push to Whitehorse, was the amount of contemplation time that I would have on the road. Despite the fact that I am eager to get there, sometimes I just need to stop, gaze at the mountains and think. Sometimes the thoughts that flood my head make me lose my focus on the road. And I don't want to crash.

The farther that I get from La Push, the less of a pull that I feel. I think of all the things that I had said and done before I left. Now that I have some distance from them and can look at them from the outside, I am not too proud of some of them.

For one thing, I wish that I hadn't been so hard on my old man. But no matter how many ways I turn it over in my mind, I don't see how I could have done things any differently.

Short of agreeing with everything that he said, staying in La Push for the rest of my life, and marrying some nice girl that I didn't love, there was nothing that I could say or do to satisfy him. My words were brutal. But that was because he was treating me brutally.

He made me feel less then human. What the hell? I am already half-wolf, half-man. But at least there is some dignity in being a werewolf. He made me feel like some kind of stud horse, who needed to be bred to the best mare in the paddock. I don't think that he meant it that way, but that's how it made me feel at the time.

I can still remember the days before I imprinted. I remember feeling sorry for the guys that did. It was like they didn't own themselves any more. Now, not only did they belong to the tribe as a protector, but they also belonged to some girl who ruled their minds and hearts. Well, they had the lay laugh all right. Suddenly, I wasn't looking at it from the outside anymore. I was right there too.

Naturally, Billy buys into this whole mystical, supernatural stuff. He is the chief, the keeper of the stories. He never had to phase to protect the tribe. The Cullens weren't there for his generation. No they waited to come back until they thought that everyone was dead. Little did they know that crap like that never ever dies. The stories, all the mythology lives on in the oral tradition of the tribe.

Now that I have some space to think without being surrounded by all that stuff, I realize what all of this means to him. He probably has thought since the day that I was born that someday it would be _me _telling those stories around the fire at Council meetings. I guess that it's my birthright. But can I really help who I was born to be any more than Renesmee can? Why does he make it sound like the whole survival of the tribe rests on my shoulders?

Does he really think that it will do any good for one more man to sacrifice his future for the tribe? I get what he is saying about all Native Americans and the way that they are struggling to hang onto their land and their cultural identity. But I'm not up to fighting the good fight on behalf of all Native Americans. I'm just trying to be me.

I know that it is wrong for me to be so cynical. But I'm cynical about a lot of things these days. I am supposed to owe my life to the tribe because I inherited this wolf gene from my great chief ancestor. Of course all the stories say that it is magic. But good, old Dr. Fang borrowed some of my blood to prove it was genetic.

That sucks even more. It gives Billy a scientific explanation for why we are the way we are. It's pretty amazing how the man that thinks that modern science is a load of crap can suddenly believe it when it proves his point. Of course in a moment of male bonding, I was the idiot who told him about that twenty-four chromosomes pairs crap. Like he even knows what it means. All he knows is what it means for me.

It means that I am doomed to be a protector of the tribe. But my genes are a case study in irony. The same gene that makes me a protector of the tribe also made me imprint on a girl who is half-vampire. And if it wasn't for the vampires, then we wouldn't need protectors, now, would we? But the icing on the cake is that I can't even bring the girl I imprinted on to live on the Rez.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in some kind of weirdo Olympic Peninsula version of West Side Story (I don't know, let's call it, West Coast Story). Only the Jets and the Sharks have turned into the Wolves and the Leeches. Of course, in West Side Story, Tony (being me of course) dies.

All because he loves the girl from the wrong ethnic group, kills her brother by mistake, and then gets killed as revenge. Typical tragedy, everyone dies. It's not until the end when they realize that these guys died for _nothing._

But West Side Story didn't have a Sam. And it didn't have a Carlisle. It didn't have these two good guys who were able to rise above the fray and make peace for the sake of peace. Sam is the guy who really deserves to be the chief, no matter what he says about himself. Sam puts the tribe first and himself second. And he's not afraid to stand up for what he believes is right. He might not understand how I could love a half-vampire girl, but he respects my freedom to do so.

He is even giving me my shot at figuring it out. He is giving me a year to decide whether it's the girl or the tribe. Of course he, and my former best buddy Quil, helped Dad and Sue make sure that I couldn't have both. What a pair of weenies! We can't vote against you, Jake old man. So we abstain. _But _if we didn't know the power of the imprint, we would probably vote against you. You know, for the sake of the tribe and all that crap.

And then there is Carlisle, the good vampire. I never truly understood the meaning of the word oxymoron until I met him. This is the guy who put me back together after that newborn creep crushed half my body.

After all the grief I gave his son, he could have easily said "screw you" and left me to try and explain to the doctors in the hospital why running a temperature of 108.9 _wasn't _one if my symptoms. He fixed me up, no hard feelings, no medical insurance necessary. It was one of those times when my Dad was able to see some value in having the bloodsuckers around.

Why couldn't my Dad be more like Carlisle? Edward brings home his human girlfriend and he welcomes her with open arms. So what if she's different? Edward loves her. That's all that matters.

And how many times did that family, before and after she was married to him, stand and fight for her. For Christ's sake! They were willing to freaking _die _for her. (Of course i was too, but somehow that felt different. After all, if it wasn't for her leech boyfriend, she wouldn't have the whacky red-head chasing after her the first place.) And then, when they welcomed her as a member of the family, they meant it.

But when I think about, Dad never really welcomed Renesmee into the family. I mean the pack was happy to welcome her. The pack was ready to fight for her when those Volturi creeps came to town. Of course, that is their role and the Italians had come into our territory without an invitation. And if they had won, how many of our people might have been their celebratory meal before the journey home?

And I know that my father seethed about that. He had a point, if the Cullens had never returned to Forks; we wouldn't have had problems with newborns and the vampire Mafia. Good old Aro even tried to make us an offer that that we couldn't refuse. Guard dogs, my ass! But you can't change things to the way that you want them to be. You have to accept what is.

And I'm sorry, but I am not the son that my father wants me to be. Just as I couldn't bow down before Sam like a slave, I can't bow down to my father. So here I am again, a man without a country. Or better put, a Quileute without a reservation. But thanks to Sam, I have a year to figure it out.

Traveling north on the Al-Can is actually kind of cool. Once you get past the tacky arch in Dawson City that says "Welcome to the Alaska-Canada Highway," the country gets real beautiful, real fast.

The mountains have a kind of rugged majesty to them. And this is real wilderness. The restaurants and motels are few and far between. I even found out that I like this thing called a hot hamburger. And the fries with gravy are pretty good too. They make this thing up there, called bumble berry pie. I am still deciding about that one. The blackberries had a few too many seeds.

And the funniest thing is that the Canadians really do say "eh" up there the way that everyone back in the US says they do. Of course I'm a fine one to talk. In the places where they say "eh," I say "huh." Somehow "eh" sounds classier, but I would probably sound like a jerk if I said it.

Sleeping arrangements aren't too great either. One night as it is getting dark, I stop at this place called the Muncho Lake Lodge. It doesn't look like much of a lodge to me. When I walk in and ask the guy if he has any rooms he tells me to go back and look at them. I think, what the hell? But then I get a peek at the rooms and decide that I would be better off phasing and sleeping as a wolf.*

Being able to phase like that to sleep or eat has come in handy when the funds get low. But well, at least the bike doesn't eat too much gas. And it is actually pretty cool that I never have to stop for directions. There is only one way in and out of Whitehorse. And when I get there, I realize that I couldn't have missed it if I tried. Taking a deep breath, I drive in and realize that I have no idea of where the hell the Cullens have set up camp.

I can see why they picked this spot right away. It is a city, but still has the look of a frontier town. I can tell that once you get out of town, the population is pretty sparse. That is certainly perfect for their purposes. And I sure there's good hunting up in the mountains. No doubt about it, the scenery is gorgeous.

I look around town and find a diner with the very original name The Whitehorse Cafe. Since my experience is that the locals usually hang out in places like this, I figure that I can find someone who knows about the Cullens. It looks like the kind of a town where a family of nine moving in would be big news. Especially if one of them is a superstar doctor like Carlisle.

Just as I guessed there are a few old timers and others hanging out around the counter shooting the breeze with the waitress. She looks pretty hardcore, with her bun, her white apron, and chewing gum. Something tells that if anyone tried to give her crap, she would be capable of tossing him out on his ass with one hand.

I sit down on a stool and order a coffee regular.

"What do you want with your regular coffee?" she asks, not knowing that a coffee regular means cream and sugar.

I bite back my wiseass remark and ask politely for the cream and sugar. Her name tag says "Mary" but her middle name is probably "don't mess with me."

"So are you new in town son?" asks one of the old timers. "Or just passing through?"

"Nice motorcycle out there," says a younger guy. "Classic, isn't it?"

"You Native American or First Nations?" asks another.

Thinking quickly, I say, "I'm here to visit some old friends, the Cullens. Yeah, the bike is a classic. I rebuilt it myself. And I'm Native American, Quileute."

One of them whistles, "Pretty sharp boy, too. What you want with the Cullens?"

"I'm just here to say, hey," I reply casually. "You know, check out the place."

It's then that I realize that there is a very pretty Native American or whatever girl standing beside me. She's got to be over six feet, slim, with his amazing black hair that falls to her waist.

"Are you Jacob?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm Jake," I answer. "How do you know me?"

"My name is Aurora Silver Fox," she says. "The Cullens are good customers at my grandmother's store."

"Just about everywhere else in town too," comments one of the guys. "Them just moving here has been real good for the economy."

"Do you know where they live?" I ask.

"Bought the old Parker ranch, didn't they Joe?" one of the young guys asks the old timer. "Certainly need all that space for those kids, big kids too."

"But nice and polite, I hear," says Joe. "They may all be adopted or foster or whatever, but they won't be no trouble. Sylvie Bouchard says that the little one is sweet as pie. Came over to visit with little Celine. The kid must be good if Sylvie says that. She don't let every kid in town play with her baby girl."

I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by the flood of information. How the hell do all these people know so much about the Cullens? It sounds like they've got the old story mill working again. I figure that I better play it safe and let them do the talking. I don't want to screw things up for them. It certainly wouldn't work in my favor if I messed up their lies.

"Hey, do how you know the Cullens?" asks one of the guys. "You meet them out in Alaska or something. I never did hear of no Quileutes there. Is that like Inuit or Athabascan or something?"

"Well, I'm not from Alaska," I say carefully. "I met them while I was, uh, hunting up there. You know. They're into all that outdoor stuff."

"I did hear that," says Joe. "Went to buy the little girl a backpack and picked up some gear for themselves. Like you said, Bert, they're real good for the economy."

"Real generous too," says Bert. "I hear that Mom of theirs pays good money to anyone who will help her load up that truck with the stuff she buys for the house."

I sit on the stool and drink my coffee and listen to them yammer away about how great the Cullens are. I wonder how quickly they would change their minds if they knew exactly what the Cullens are. But it's good because I pick up a wealth of information about their latest charade.

Jasper and Rosalie are playing twin foster kids again. Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Renesmee are all adopted. Bella is a foster kid too and supposedly real shy.

"So I hear that two of the adopted ones are brother and sister, too," mentions Joe.

"Yeah, they are," says Aurora. "I met them when they stopped into the store with their Mom. They sure do like alike. They have the same bronze-colored hair, and gorgeous too. I bet that half the girls at the high school will be in love with Edward by second period. He's very protective of his little sister."

I guess that Renesmee is the little sister, but I don't dare to ask. If I'm a friend of the family, then I should know that already.

"So how did you know that I was Jacob?" I ask Aurora.

"The day I met them, the little girl, Renesmee was talking about the guest cabin that they were getting ready for when you visited," she says. "I'm surprised you don't know where they live."

I give her my best sheepish expression.

"Well, uh, they said something about mile something or other on the Al-Can but I didn't write it down," I say.

The guys laugh at me.

"Typical guy," jokes Joe. "We'll tell you how to get there. It's easy, you just get yourself back on the Al-Can."

After he tells me, I feel kind of stupid, but that's okay because I didn't screw up the cover story. And I'm especially happy to hear that Renesmee knew I was coming and that they were getting a place ready for me. Billy must have told Charlie and he passed it along.

I'm so pleased to hear about how Renesmee is looking forward to my coming, that I don't bother to be insulted by the fact that the cabin is probably a way to keep the dog smell out of the house. But the upside is that I will have a place to go that is free of vampire stink.

"Okay, boys," I say, as I throw a buck on the counter as a tip. "Nice meeting you. See you around!"

"Come back any time," calls MaryAs she grabs the dollar.

I get on my bike and roar off down the Al-Can to where the turn off is for the ranch. Not surprisingly, it is well off the highway. As I drive down, I notice the little cabin off to the side and the see the big yellow house at the end. As I pull up, I see a familiar face running towards me.

"Jacob! Jacob! It's my Jacob!" she cries as she hurls herself into my arms.

I pick her up and she looks into my eyes.

"I knew you would come!" Renesmee says with shining eyes. "I just knew it!"

*_My husband and I drove down the Al-Can one summer when we moving down from Alaska. This little vignette is true. Only we spent the night there._


	21. Reunion

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 21: Reunion**

Renesmee and I are in the music room when the roar of the motorcycle coming down the driveway grows louder and louder. Suddenly she stops playing the piano in mid-phrase and squeals.

"Daddy! Daddy!" she shrieks. "He's here! He's here! I'd know the sound of _that _motorcycle anywhere!"

She is flying out the door before I know it. I go out into the great room where the rest of the family is standing.

"Oh, joy!" says Rosalie sarcastically.

"Cut it out, Rose," I warn. "If you want her to be happy, you are going to have to learn to at least tolerate him."

She hisses in frustration.

"Come on, Rose," says Emmett. "At least he has his own place. He won't be sleeping on the couch or raiding the refrigerator."

"Okay," she says grudgingly. "I'll be good. But if he starts in with those stupid blond jokes again all bets are off."

Emmett looks at me, and grins. We both kind of like those blond jokes.

"Well, let's all go outside and greet him," says Carlisle with his usual kindness. "He probably thinks that we are all in here talking about him."

"He knows that we are talking about him," I say as I listen to his thoughts. "And he's nervous as hell about how we are going to receive him. He doesn't want any more arguing in front of Renesmee."

"Neither do I," says Carlisle firmly. "If you do not think that you can go out and welcome him properly, then you are free to remain in the house."

"I'm coming," says Esme. "He's had a long journey and I'm sure that he would like to relax and have something to eat. And don't worry about the wolf smell in the house. That's why I built the gazebo outside and furnished it with chairs."

"You think of everything, darling," says Carlisle affectionately.

Bella, who has been silent up to this point, and I follow them out. Emmett reluctantly follows Rosalie, who is quietly seething, back to their room so that he can listen to her vent. Alice is debating whether she wants to go out and be blind. Jasper makes up her mind by taking her arm and leading her away.

"He's already doing it," moans Bella, before we go outside.

"What?" I ask.

"Dividing the family against itself," she says. "I love Jacob, but I hate when he does this."

"It's not entirely his fault," I reply. "Rosalie will probably never give up her grudge against him. Emmett will always follow along with her, but he really doesn't care one way or the other about Jacob. And Alice just doesn't like being blind. Jasper doesn't want to leave her alone. If you think about it, the only one who really holds any animosity towards him is Rose."

"Who is also Renesmee's favorite aunt," she groans.

"Why don't we just go outside and forget about them?" I suggest, neatly avoiding the issue. "Renesmee will wonder where we are."

I pick up her hand and lead her out the front door. Jacob is standing in the driveway with Renesmee in his arms. He is so tall that it doesn't even look odd that he is holding such a big girl. When he sees us he puts her down, but not because he's uncomfortable. He wants to give Bella a hug.

"Hey, Bells!" he says, trying to set aside his tension and sound natural. "Great new spread you have here! Do you know that you all are the talk of the town?"

"Well, they don't have much else to talk about right now," says Bella, as she reaches out for him. "What's the latest gossip?"

"It's all good," he says easily, running through his conversation at the diner with the locals in his head for me. "They all like you guys a lot."

"Thanks, Jacob," I say, acknowledging his gesture. "Welcome to Whitehorse."

"You know you guys should really have a name for this place," he says. "Everyone in town calls it the old Parker ranch."

"Yes, we know," says Esme.

Carlisle shrugs, but Esme looks thoughtful. I can see that she likes the idea. As long as she doesn't come up with something too cheesy, it's okay by me. But we have to go to high school with the other teenagers in town and if she comes up with something goofy we will all have to live it down.

"How about the Devil's Lair?" Jacob suggests. "Or Cullen's Crypt?"

"Jacob!" exclaims Bella and punches his chest.

Once upon a time, that move might have broken her hand. But now _he _is the one who winces. He looks over and winks at me, remembering the same incident. He is making every effort to get things back to normal. I'm glad that the others stayed inside. It would have been much harder for him to deal with eight of us instead of four. Especially since one of the other four is Rosalie.

"You must be hungry, Jacob," says Esme. "Can I get you anything to eat?"

"I stopped at the little diner in town for coffee," he says. "But I didn't get anything to eat."

"I'll get you something," says Renesmee immediately flying off to the house.

"I'll go help her," says Bella.

"This is convenient," says Carlisle amiably. "Perhaps we can chat a bit before she comes back. Let's sit over here."

As we sit down in the gazebo, Jacob looks around.

"Trying to keep the wolf stench out of the house?" he says cheerfully, but still with an edge.

Esme's face falls as she reads his sarcastic remark as an insult.

"It's okay, Esme," I murmur. "Jacob was just being a jerk. He thought that he was being _funny. _He doesn't know how much _time and effort _that you put into making things comfortable for him here."

My comments hit their mark and Jacob immediately feels guilty.

"Gee whiz, Esme," he says sincerely. "I was just being my usual idiotic self. The weather is so pleasant out here, even an oaf like me can see why you would want to fix it up."

She smiles at him uncertainly, so he continues.

"At the cafe," he says. "There was a young woman named Aurora who said that she knew you guys. She said that Renesmee told her that I was coming and that you were fixing up some cabin or something for me. How did you know I was coming?"

"Charlie," says Bella briefly, as she and Renesmee return.

"Aurora already told you about the cabin?" asks Renesmee, looking downcast. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, believe me it is," he says, but bites back a snide comment how he's surprised that Rosalie didn't build him a doghouse.

I look at him sharply and narrow my eyes. There is no way that we are ever going to effect a truce between those two unless he starts keeping his smart-ass remarks to himself.

"How did Charlie know?" he asks.

"Billy told him," Bella says. "But, um, he's not too happy about it."

"Dad never was real subtle," he comments as he takes a bite of the enormous (there must be a pound if meat on it) roast beef sandwich that Bella made him.

"No," says Bella. "Call your cell phone if you want to hear how subtle he's being. He says that you no longer have the cell phone and that you're not getting it back until you come to your senses."

"Sounds like him," says Jacob with a shrug, but I can see that the message still stings.

"If you need a cell phone, Jacob," offers Carlisle. "I can put you on our plan. Adding another line would be very inexpensive."

"I'll consider it," he replies, without any hint of sarcasm. "So what have you all been doing up here? Besides fixing up this place. By the way, it looks great."

"Thank you," says Esme. "After it was a ranch, the place was a bed and breakfast. Carlisle and the kids found it and decided that it was perfect. With nine people we need something spacious."

"Is that the old barn?" he asks, pointing to the garage. "Charlie was talking about how you have some kind of a big pickup truck, Esme. What have you got, nine or ten cars now?"

"I believe that we are up to ten. Yes, I do," she says, loosening up. "I find it more convenient fir hauling stuff around town. But I also just got a Mercedes Vito van to bring the children back and forth to school."

"Why don't you guys just drive yourselves?" he asks me. "You certainly have enough cars."

"Because none of us are old enough to drive," says Bella with a big smile. "It will be at least another year before Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie can get their licenses, legally anyway."

"Oh that's right," he says. "You better tell me how old you all are so that I don't mess up."

"You haven't already?" asks Bella with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"No," I say quickly. "The only glitch in his conversation in the diner was when he asked for directions to our place. Aurora thought that he should have known. He covered by saying that he didn't write them down."

Jacob rolls his eyes.

"Still at it, huh, Edward?" he says mildly. "Can't resist picking through my brain?"

"Well," says Carlisle, ignoring the jibe. "Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper are high school sophomores, Bella, Alice, and Edward are freshman, and Renesmee is a seventh grader."

"Carlisle and Esme are my Dad and Mom," adds Renesmee. "And Daddy and Momma are my brother and foster sister."

"Can you remember all of that?" asks Jacob.

"Of course, I can," she says. "And we are all going to be in the French immersion programs at our schools."

"I didn't know that you spoke French?" Jacob asks Bella.

"I'm learning quickly," she replies. "Vampires have good memories. But in the beginning, I'm going to keep my mouth shut. Alice will do most of my talking for me."

"Doesn't she always?"

"Stop being a jerk!" says Bella, smacking his thigh. "If anyone is going to mess up, it probably won't be Renesmee. It will be me."

"We start school tomorrow," adds Renesmee.

"Tomorrow?" he says in surprise. "Already?"

"It's almost September, Jacob," I say. "They have probably already started school back at home."

"Oh, yeah," he says. "I guess I lost track of time."

"Do you want to see your new house, Jacob?" asks Renesmee impatiently.

"I've been waiting for you to ask," he says, immediately picking up on her tone.

"Goody!" she says. "Let's show Jacob his cabin."

"I'll come," says Bella quickly. "You guys can follow."

We watch as they go back up the driveway. Renesmee is skipping between them, holding Jacob's hand on one side and Bella's on the other. I turn back towards Esme and Carlisle.

"Cullen's Crypt?" asks Carlisle. "At least he hasn't lost his sense of humor."

"He seems to be trying very hard to be nice," says Esme, still uncertain because of the wolf stench comment.

"He _is _trying to be nice," I reply. "He deeply regrets that way that we parted back in Forks. He has come to realize that the decision to relocate had nothing to do with him. It was all about us. But he is not just here to make amends."

"No?" asks Carlisle.

"He tried to conceal it from his thoughts, but he couldn't," I reply. "The Council of Elders has told him that Renesmee is banned from ever living at La Push. If he chooses to be with her after she grows up, it will have to be off the Rez. This is a terrible conflict for him. He has a very profound connection to La Push and the Quileute people.

"However, Sam is being very decent about the whole thing. The Council has offered Jacob the position of tribal chief and Alpha of the three-man pack. Sam and Quil convinced Sue to give Jacob a year to figure things out before he has to choose. Billy was opposed, but he was outvoted."

"Three-man pack?" asks Carlisle. "I thought that there were seventeen."

"The Council figures that since we left the neighborhood, they don't need any more than three wolves," I explain. "Sam, Quil, and Jacob have the strongest bloodlines to the original shapeshifter, Chief Taha Aki, through their grandfathers who were the last three wolves. The others will be able to stop phasing and go on to live normal lives."

"Just out of curiosity," says Carlisle. "How does this preclude Renesmee from living on the reservation."

"The Council cannot be sure that because Renesmee is half-vampire, her presence on Quileute land won't mean that the others have to keep phasing," I explain. "Jacob doesn't believe it, but he also hasn't realized that if Renesmee eventually wanted to marry and settle there, that it would mean that there would be at the very least eight full vampires who would want to stop by and visit periodically."

"And we never know about the Volturi," says Carlisle.

"If Aro wanted to acquire her, let's say as a curiosity," I reply. "Then the place to get her would certainly be one where she did not have the protection of other vampires. But the Quileutes haven't thought of that either. I would prefer that we not mention it to Jacob. He's under enough pressure as it is."

"Edward," says Carlisle. "I can't get over how nonjudgmental you are being about all of this."

I shrug.

"Back when Jacob and I were rivals for Bella's affections," I say. "I ultimately gave up insulting him and trying to keep them apart. Doing that was only hurting Bella more. I don't want to do the same thing to Renesmee. But I do intend to have a talk with Jacob about not pushing everyone's buttons with his snide remarks. Among other things, it's just not nice and it's not going to score any points with Renesmee."

"You have a point," says Carlisle nodding. "After all the effort that we have put into making him feel welcome, it would be nice if he didn't sound so ungrateful."

"Well, he is probably going to feel like a huge jerk when Renesmee shows off all the great things that she, Bella, and Esme have done with the cabin," I say.

"And he will feel like an even bigger jerk," says Esme. "When he sees the garage that you built for him when space for the workshop."

"Not to mention the Dodge Tradesman that's sitting in there," says Carlisle.

"It's not the very top of the line," I reply. "But it's a solid truck. If he only uses it for a year, I should be able to unload it easily enough."

"I'm surprised that you aren't down there with them now," says Esme.

"Well, he's probably going to feel mighty guilty about his smart mouth when he sees what we've done for him," I say. "I might as well give him the space to feel his guilt before he has to start repressing it because I'm there."

"Son," says Carlisle clapping his hand down on my shoulder. "I proud of you. You could be a real fool by refusing to be nice to your daughter's 'rather different,' shall we say, werewolf friend."

"I learned from the best," I say smiling at him. "When I brought home my 'rather different' human girlfriend, you were nothing but gracious and accepting. That's what I am going to try to keep in mind the next time he sticks his paw in his mouth."

We all laugh and then Esme says, "You couldn't have picked a better role model."

"I know," I reply. "I know. Now why don't we go down and see if Renesmee hasn't made her seven-foot friend feel about seven inches tall?"

And she is perfectly capable of doing that unintentionally, I think. Every little advantage that she proudly points out that was thoughtfully designed into his living space will twist the blade a little more sharply into his remorse.

And even though I may aspire to Carlisle's high ideals, after all the upset that he's caused, I am still petty enough to take a perverse pleasure in Jacob's guilt. I'm just lucky that no one can read _my_ thoughts.

_Author's note: I have written this chapter from Edward's POV because his mind-reading abilities allow us to look into Jacob's mind as well as his (Edward's). It saves readers the ambiguity created by wondering whether what Jacob is saying and what he is thinking are the same. The next chapter will belong to Renesmee's voice._


	22. Jacob's Home

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 22: Jacob's Home**

I am so happy that my Jacob is finally here, that I am almost dancing as we go down to his cabin. I can't wait to show him around! But I am a little mad at him because he hurt Esme's feelings. Before we go in, I decide that I need to say something.

"Now, Jacob," I scold. "That was not very nice of you to tell Esme that she was trying to keep the wolf stench out of the house by making the little gazebo outside. She was very nice about fixing up this place for you so that _you _wouldn't have to be around vampire stink all the time. You should apologize to her for being mean."

He looks surprised by my annoyance.

"I was only joking," he says.

"Well, if you say something and it hurts someone's feelings then it's not funny, right Momma?" I say sternly.

"Yes, that's right," she says. "That's what Carlisle tells Emmett all the time."

I look at her closely. She looks like she's trying not to laugh. And Jacob kind of looks the same way. I wonder what their problem is. When we reach the cabin, Jacob stands back and whistles.

"Nice digs," he says. "The whole thing is for me?"

"Yes," I reply. "And you better appreciate it!"

"I'm sure that I will," he says smiling.

"Do you like the color?" I ask. "I picked out red because it is the same color as Billy's house? And Esme picked out the chairs for the front porch."

"Yeah, red is great," he says. "And the chairs are great too. It will be nice to be able to sit outside in the evenings."

Momma opens the door with the key and we walk inside. Jacob's mouth drops open and I wish that Esme was here to see it.

"Uh, like, wow!" he says.

The main room has a couch, chairs, and a couple of smaller tables on a rug that we bought at the Trading Post. There is a large flat screen TV on the wall as well as some tapestries and paintings. In one of the corners there is a Macbook Pro, already hooked up to the Internet. Over by the kitchen area there is a dining table with four chairs. The kitchen is separated from the main room by a counter. I take his hand and bring him over to the kitchen.

"You, see," I say. "Esme wasn't happy with the appliances in here, so she got a new refrigerator and stove. Momma and I filled the cabinets and the fridge with your favorite. You have all the pots and pans that you need and dinnerware and cutlery. We had a lot of stuff that we don't use because vampires don't eat."

"This is . . . amazing," he says. "And it's all for me?"

"Yes," I say. "And out on the back porch is a clothes washer and dryer. Come and see the bedroom."

We all walk over together.

"Since you are so big," I continue. "Momma and Esme got you a king-sized bed. It takes up almost the whole room, but we didn't think that you would mind."

"I . . . uh, don't," he says.

"Then in the closet is the dresser," I explain. "To make more room out here. So do you think that the cabin is still about wolf stench?"

"Renesmee," say Momma. "You have made that point quite clearly now. Please drop it."

"Yes, Momma," I reply. "Do you like it, Jacob?"

"I love it," he says. "It's nicer than Billy's place. But you didn't have to go to all of this trouble just for me. I mean, what if I hadn't come up?"

"Oh, I knew you would come up," I say.

"It wasn't really any trouble," adds Momma. "If you hadn't come up, it would have been a guest house for Sue and Charlie when they visit."

"You can still use it for them," he says. "I can crash somewhere else when they come."

"How are you going to get your things, Jacob?" asks Momma. "Aren't they still back in La Push?"

"I left them Quil," he answers. "I wanted to come up on the bike and obviously couldn't take my stuff. I kind of had to pack it up and move it out before Billy knew that I was leaving. Quil is going to ship it up here when I can give him an address."

"You should get a post office box like we did," says Momma. "We are so far out of town that mail delivery can be uncertain, especially in winter. I think that it is more convenient for everyone."

"I'll do that," he says. "As soon as I can. I still can't get over everything that you have done for me."

"Well, there is still more to see," I say.

"More?" he says. "What did you do? Build me a swimming pool?"

Of course not!" I say. "What would you do with a swimming pool in the Yukon? Follow me."

"Yes, ma'am," he says.

I would swear that I could see him wink at Momma. I take him out of the house and out to the shed.

"Daddy built this for you," I say. "It's so that you can keep your motorcycle here. It's heated because if your bike engine freezes up then you can't drive it."

"Really?" he asks Momma.

"Cars don't start in negative thirty below," she says, and presses the button to open the door.

"What the hell is this?" he asks looking at the white pickup truck.

"Daddy got it for you," I say. "He was afraid that your motorcycle wouldn't be much good in the winter, and driving a truck like this in town would be more practical than a Ferrari or a Porsche. Do you like it?"

"It's really great," he says. "I just can't believe it."

"Well, there's one more thing," I say and pull him around the back. "Daddy knows that you like to work with your hands, so he added a workshop in the back. He says that it will keep you out of trouble, whatever that means."

"It means," says Daddy from the entrance to the shed. "That he won't get bored out of his mind and drive Esme crazy while we are all at school."

Daddy, Carlisle, and Esme come in and Jacob turns a lovely shade of bright red. Momma gives me "the look" so I don't say anything about how he _should _be embarrassed.

"Edward, Esme," he says. "I don't know what to say. I didn't know what to expect when I came up here. But I never expected anything like this. This is just . . . awesome."

"When we invited you to join us up here," says Carlisle. "We meant it. We want you to feel both comfortable and welcome. And I'm sure that Bella and Renesmee explained to you that we had a plan B for the cabin, shed, and truck if you didn't come up."

"Yeah, well," he says. "When Charlie and Sue do come up, I can bunk out here. That way they can have the cabin."

"That's very nice of you, Jacob," says Esme. "Do you need anything? I can see that you traveled light."

"Quil is going to send me my stuff when I tell him where to send it," he says. "I'll go to town first thing and get a PO box. I'm good until then."

"Do you have any questions about anything?" asks Carlisle.

"No," he says. "I'm pretty good for now. Actually, I'm very tired. I think that I need to crash for a while."

"Go ahead," says Carlisle. "You should probably bring your bike down here first."

"Or I can bring it," offers Daddy.

"No, that's okay," he says. "You guys have done a lot for me already. And Esme, I'm real sorry if I hurt your feelings before. I guess that five days on the road just made me kind of cranky. I promise to behave myself when I wake up."

"That's okay, Jacob," she says. "I know that we didn't leave things on a very positive note when we left Forks. I guess that we're all a little sensitive right now."

"Yeah, but you've never been anything but kind to me," he says. "I shouldn't have taken out my bad mood on you of all people."

"Well it's all water under the bridge now," she says. "Don't give it another thought."

"You know," he says. "I had a lot of time to think on my way up here. I owe all of you an apology for the things that I said back in Forks. I just, well, when I heard that you were taking Renesmee away, I kind of panicked."

"Did the Council give you a very hard time about leaving La Push, Jacob?" asks Carlisle.

"Well, I'm sure that Edward has told you already that I didn't exactly leave on the best of terms with the whole Council," he says. "They want me to stay there, but they say that Renesmee can't live there, ever. But at the same time they can't force me to stay."

"Why don't they want me to live there?" I ask him.

"Do you want to live there?" he asks me, looking very surprised.

"No," I answer. "I just want to know why they don't want me."

"Well, it's kind of complicated," he replies. "You see the reason that the wolves phase is to fight vampires. Now we don't fight with your family, because they are vegetarians. Since you have moved away, the tribe won't need so many wolves and then most of the guys can stop phasing and, you know, be normal again."

"What does that have to do with me?" I ask him.

"Well," he says looking over at Momma. "You see, the Council is afraid that because you are part-vampire, if you live at La Push then all the wolves will have to keep phasing. It's really hard for all those kids because it means that they can't live normal lives."

"Oh," I say. "So it's not really about me. It's about my being half-vampire. That's okay. You can stay here with us. You see, we really want you here."

I give him a really big smile, but he doesn't smile back. Momma, Daddy, Esme, and Carlisle all look at each other.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "Don't _you _want to stay with us? Don't you want to stay with me?"

"Well, Renesmee," he says. "That's complicated too. You see because of whom my father and grandfather are, I should really be the chief of the tribe when my Dad dies and the Alpha wolf of the three-man pack right now. That's why they gave me such a hard time about leaving."

"But I thought Sam was the Alpha," I say, now feeling confused. "And there are seventeen wolves in the packs, because there are two packs."

"Because your family is gone, the only wolves that we need to protect the tribe are Sam, Quil, and me," he explains. "That's because our grandfathers were the last three wolves. Technically speaking, since my grandfather was the last Alpha that should be me. But Sam phased first, so that made him the Alpha. And then when I phased, he offered it to me but I didn't want it."

"But if you don't want it, then I don't understand what the problem is," I say.

"The problem is that as much as I would like to stay here permanently with you guys. The Quileutes are my people and La Push is my land. It's hard for you to understand because you don't see the land the way that we do. But I have a year to figure it out," he says. "But it's a very difficult choice, because there will always be a part of me that wants to be in La Push. I'm not sure that I can just walk away from it. It's not just my land, it's a part of who I am."

"Oh," I say. "So if it wasn't for me then you would want to be at La Push?"

Now everyone is silent. I have a feeling that this is what the big problem is. Suddenly I feel very bad about it. I don't want to hurt my Jacob. But maybe he's really not my Jacob. Maybe he belongs to La Push and the Quileutes.

"I think that Jacob needs to rest, Renesmee," says Daddy. "Why don't we talk about this later when he's not so exhausted."

"I think that's a very good idea," says Carlisle. "As the doctor I prescribe at least twelve hours sleep so that you will be fully rested."

"You know, Edward," says Jacob yawning. "I think that maybe I'll take you up on that offer to bring the bike down here for me."

"No problem," says Daddy.

"I'll see you later, Renesmee," says Jacob.

"I'll see you too," I say and throw my arms around his waist.

He gives me a big hug and then kisses the top of my head and goes inside.

We walk quietly back to the house. When we get there, Daddy picks up the motorcycle and carries it back down to Jacob's cabin. The rest of us go inside where the others are waiting for us.

"How is Jacob?" asks Alice.

"He's good," says Momma. "He's just tired from the long journey."

"Did he like his new set up?" asks Emmett.

"Yeah," she says. "He liked it a lot."

"So Renesmee," says Alice. "Are you happy to see Jacob again?"

"Yes, I am," I say. "But I didn't realize how hard it was for him to come and see me."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's a long story," I say. "Momma, can you tell them? I want to get ready for school tomorrow. It's a big day."

"Sure, honey," she says.

I leave the room, but stay by the door so that I can listen.

"She seems rather subdued," says Auntie Rose. "Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure," says Momma. "She found out a few things that she didn't know before. Jacob has a year decide whether he will stay with her or go back to the reservation and take over his roles as chief and Alpha."

"Does that mean that she would decide whether she would go with him?" she asks sharply.

"No," says Carlisle. "She has no decisions to make. The Quileutes don't want her living on the reservation because she is half-vampire. If Jacob wants to stay with her, he will be essentially exiling himself from his home."

"I don't get it," says Emmett.

"I do," says Jasper. "Indians feel a very close bond to their tribal lands. And the ones still left today don't have many of their lands left. We white men view land as property that we buy and sell. We personally own it. The Indians didn't think that it is possible to own land. That's how they lost a lot of their lands. They didn't understand the whole idea of titles and deeds."

"But a lot of Native Americans leave the reservations these days," says Alice. "And they marry people other than their own people. I still don't understand why Jacob is so different."

"Jacob's blood ties to the land are very powerful," says Carlisle. "This will be a difficult choice for him. And I would appreciate it if none of us made it anymore difficult for him."

"Okay," says Auntie Rose. "If he doesn't make any sarcastic remarks at me, then I won't bother him."

"Good," says Daddy coming through the door.

I run down the hallway and upstairs to my room. I don't want Daddy to hear my thoughts and find out that I was eavesdropping. That's the hard part about having a mind reader for a father. He always knows where you are and what you're thinking.

When I get to my bedroom, I close my door and flop down on my bed. I look over at the outfit that I picked for school tomorrow. I can see my new backpack filled with my new textbooks and school supplies. I'm glad that I start school tomorrow. It will help me to forget about how I am messing up Jacob's life.


	23. My Little Girl

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: Snow days are good for writing! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 23: My Little Girl**

"I hope that you realize that Renesmee just heard everything that you said," I say as I walk into the house. "She was standing in the hallway eavesdropping and went running off to her room when she heard me come in."

"Edward," says Bella, looking concerned. "Is she very upset?"

"To put it mildly," I reply. "Right now she is beating herself up for ruining Jacob's life. She thinks that it is all her fault that he is torn between her and La Push."

"That's not her fault," says Rosalie. "That's Jacob's fault."

"Rosalie," I say trying to be patient. "The imprinting is involuntary and his love of his land and his tribe is inborn. She is half-vampire with no real understand of what it is like to feel those kinds of bonds. She has no such affiliation to any plot of 'land.' There is no place to lay blame or fault. That's what makes this situation so tragic. I never thought that I would say this, but I really feel for Jacob."

"Feel what?" asks Rosalie sarcastically.

Finally, Carlisle has heard enough.

"That's it!" he says, raising his voice although still not shouting. "I am tired of this bickering between you and him. I've been listening to it for the past seven years and I have had enough. I generally do not like to assert the control that my position as coven leader gives me, but I am now. No more bad words between you and Jacob!"

"But what if he . . . "

Carlisle doesn't let her finish.

"He has promised not t say anything as long as you don't provoke him with snide remarks," he says. "But I am sick of these conditional promises. It's time for both of you to grow up and stop behaving like this.

"From now on, I don't want to hear anything else about dogs, mongrels, wolf stench, or any if the other insults that you hurl at him. And if he breaks his word then I will give him the same speech, only inserting all of the insults that he calls you. This name-calling has gone on long enough."

"Yeah, but how many times have we heard him call us bloodsuckers and leeches, not to mention vampire stink," says Emmett coming to Rosalie's defense. "And he still calls you Dr. Fang."

"_His_ language is not the point right now," he says. "Words can hurt almost much as blows, sometimes more. You all will behave with dignity and watch your language about _all_ those who are different from you. Do you get it?"

"Yes, sir," says Alice. "And I'm sorry if Renesmee heard our conversation and it hurt her."

"Or you sorry that you the conversation?" I ask. "Or are you sorry that she heard it?"

"Oh, snap, baby brother," says Emmett. "That was cold."

"But true," says Alice remorsefully.

"Well, that brings me to my second point," he continues. "You never know who might be listening and how they might hear it. Renesmee is just as confused as Jacob is now, maybe even more so. And she can't help that either. He at least has a complete understanding of what imprinting is and what it means. She doesn't. In fact, I am not even sure if she can right now."

"What do you mean Carlisle?" asks Bella.

"We have always had to make assumptions about Renesmee's comparative human age based on her physical growth," he says. "But emotional growth and development are much more difficult to quantify. If we are estimating that she is an adolescent, then that leaves us with less information to go on than ever."

"I see what you mean," says Bella.

"You do?" says Rosalie as everyone turns at looks at her.

"It's been a long time since any of you went through that really awkward time," she explains. "The reason why it is so difficult to understand girls that age is that every girl is so different. Plus, when you're that age, you still aren't sure if you are a girl or a woman. Sometimes you even change your mind from day to day depending on your mood.

"And as much as we like to think of Renesmee as being perfect, she isn't. When we were showing Jacob around the cabin, I had to cut her off when she started to harp on the whole 'you should be more grateful' thing again. She just wouldn't let go, and that is definitely in the category of childish behavior."

"Maybe she doesn't like Jacob as much as we thought," says Rosalie.

"Or maybe she's starting to have feelings for him that she doesn't understand," says Bella. "Maybe she's imitating some of our behaviors towards him _and each other, _Emmett. Everyone has a tendency to want to make jokes at other people's expense.

Or maybe in her case, it's just normal, obnoxious adolescent behavior. And if you think that it will be limited to Jacob, then think again. If we don't want her to develop a smart mouth, then we need to watch our own. Otherwise she won't understand why we don't do what we say."

"That's a good point. And it will only create more confusion for her," says Carlisle, as he is thinking that he is going to need to start reading up on adolescent development. "And now that we are aware of this, we all need to be good role models."

"I'm going to go up and have a talk with my daughter," I reply. "I think that I know pretty well how she is feeling."

"How so?" asks Bella.

"I remember about eight and a half years ago," I reply. "When I met a certain girl, I spent a lot of time torturing myself because I thought that I was ruining her life, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," she says. "Okay, this one's all yours. I'll talk to her when she decides that he doesn't like her."

"What makes you think that she will decide that?" asks Alice.

"I can't really be sure," she admits. "But the mood swings are pretty normal, for a middle-school girl. And that's just another phase of trying to understand male-female relationships. I remember when I tortured myself eight and a half years ago because I decided that a certain _boy_ hated me."

Rolling my eyes, I leave to go find Renesmee.

"Edward," calls Carlisle from behind. "That eye-rolling is just as bad!"

The rest of them now start debating the various issues of adolescent development. What did Bella call this? Parenting by committee? At some point, Carlisle is going to have to put a stop to that too. But right now my focus is my very mixed up little girl. I knock on her door before I enter.

"Come in, Daddy," she says as soon as she recognizes my step outside.

"Hey, sweetheart," I say. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing," she says. "What makes you think that anything is wrong?"

"Well, you're lying across your bed staring at the ceiling and you're not smiling," I reply. "You are thinking about a lot of things that you are mixed up about."

She sighs.

"No offense, Daddy," she says. "But it really sucks having a mind-reader for a father. It's hard to have a normal conversation when you know what I'm going to say before I do."

"That's fair," I say. "But I can't do anything about it. It's not like I can stop it. And there have been many times that I wish I could."

"I think it would be cool to know what everyone else is thinking," she says.

"Maybe," I say. "But most of the things that other people, especially humans, are thinking, are boring. And there are the other times, when you want to be able to give your family some privacy."

"Like me right now?" she asks, sitting up.

"Some of the things that you are thinking make me sad," I admit. "It hurts me to hear them. I really wish that you weren't hurting so much right now. As your father, right now all that I want to do is make you feel better."

"Am I hurting?" she asks thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I know how you feel," I offer.

"What do you mean?" she asks. "Do you know how I feel because you can read my mind? Or do you know how I feel because you have felt that way yourself?"

"I've felt this way myself," I answer.

"Okay, I was afraid that you were going to explain to me how I am feeling now," she says. "And that certainly wouldn't make me feel better."

"Well, when I first met your Momma and realized that I was in love with her," I explain, as I think that she is pretty sharp for whatever age she is. "I thought that I was ruining her life. All I wanted was for her to be happy. All I wanted was for her to have a normal human life.

"But while I was busy trying to give her what I thought that she should have, I forgot to think that she might not think that what I wanted and what she wanted were the same things."

"So then you don't think that I am ruining Jacob's life and making him unhappy?" she asks.

"You have to take into account that he is going to want to make his own choices for himself," I say. "Right now, his options don't look very good. That isn't his fault, but it's not your fault either. I have been able to know what he was thinking from almost the first minute that he imprinted. And from that time onward, all that he wanted was for you to be happy."

"And that's why he was always around?" she asks. "That's why he always wanted to take care of me? When he told me that, he really meant it?"

"Yes," I say. "And that's no different from what his brother wolves felt when they imprinted. While you were a baby, he never thought about how hard that might be someday when you grew up. You see, his brother wolves all imprinted on girls that were free to return their feelings. They were all from the same culture. The other wolves could make assumptions that he couldn't, but it is only recently that he realized that."

"What is the biggest difference for him?" she asks.

"The biggest difference is that you are not Quileute," I say. "There is nothing that you can do about that. In the end, it was much different for Momma and me because even though I could never be human, she could still be a vampire. But you can never be a Quileute and Jacob can never be a vampire."

"Because vampire venom kills wolves," she says.

"Yes, that's true," I reply. "But that doesn't mean that things can't work out. And there is still time."

"One year," she says.

"Maybe," I reply. "None of us can predict the future. All we can do is live in the present."

"That's what I am trying to do," she says. "I am trying to think about going to school tomorrow, but it's not working. I keep thinking about Jacob."

"I think that when you get to school tomorrow, you will find it a lot easier to focus on it," I reply. "Being at home makes it hard to think about things outside of home."

"Yeah, especially when everyone else is talking about me," she says.

"You know," I say. "I understand that you were curious about what the others were going to say after you left earlier, but sometimes when we eavesdrop we found out things that we don't want to know."

"How did you . . . ?" she begins. "Oh, never mind. You heard my thoughts from outside."

"That's right," I say. "But let's face it. I am the ultimate, champion eavesdropper of all time. So I know all about hearing things that I don't want to hear."

"What do you think that I should do?" she asks.

"Well, first off, you need to stop worrying about things that you can't change," I say. "Tomorrow is your first day of school. And if you think that you're nervous, you should see how your Momma feels. Think about when you get home. Jacob will have had a chance to rest up. You can tell him all about your first day. I'm sure that he will want to hear all about it."

"Daddy, what is he going to do here when I'm at school everyday?" she asks.

"That is for him to decide," I say. "It would be good for him to get a job and get out and meet some of the local folks. If he needs them, I am sure that Jasper can forge some working papers for him."

"Okay," she says yawning. "I'm really tired now. Can you send Momma up to tuck me in?"

"Sure, baby," I say giving her a hug. "Have a good night."

"You too, Daddy," she says. "I love you."

As I walk away from her room, I can tell that my words have done very little to put her mind at rest. Now that I have heard what Bella said about adolescent girls, it makes it easier for me to understand her chaotic thinking. Of course, never having been an adolescent girl myself, I was completely at a loss. And Renesmee is younger than any of the high school girls that I encountered before.

At least I can take comfort in the fact that with her accelerated growth she may pass through this stage of development much more quickly than most girls. At least I hope so.


	24. First Day in High School (Again)

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 24: First Day of High School (Again)**

I can't believe how nervous I am. I mean, it's not as if I won't ace my classes. Not only is this my second time going through high school, I am going through with a vampire mind. It is hard to believe that I have developed near fluency in French after only two weeks.

Okay, I know that's an overstatement. I have no trouble with listening and reading comprehension. I can speak in a limited way. The writing still has a way to go.

"Don't worry," Edward assured me earlier. "Once you begin to think in French the speaking will get a lot easier. And the writing isn't so bad except for the spelling. But you should get the phonetics down pretty quickly. Understanding what people say is the most important thing. Alice will do most of your talking for you. You're very shy, remember?"

This morning was completely different from any other school morning that I had ever had. For thing, I didn't have to worry about dragging myself out of bed. For another, I didn't have to worry about eating breakfast. We had gone hunting the night before, mostly so that Jasper wouldn't feel _too _thirsty. The others also explained the way things worked with cover stories and acting human.

"Edward is our lookout, so to speak," said Jasper. "He's listening for anyone who might be thinking anything that might pose a problem for us. Even though you can't hear their thoughts, you can expect to hear what they are saying."

"I know," I replied. "It's my supersonic vampire hearing."

"It's best if you just ignore," said Rosalie. "Most of the time they are talking about how there are so many of us, they want to know where we can from, and then of course there are the physical differences."

"You will probably hear comments about how good looking we all are, the fact that we are all so pale, and sometimes the color of our eyes changes," adds Emmett.

"But you are actually the only human whoever noticed that my eyes changed color," said Edward. "So don't worry about that. By the way, if by chance someone _does _notice it, just say you're wearing contacts."

"Right," I answered. "And I get food in the lunch line and then don't eat it."

"Usually, I will pick at mine," said Rosalie. "Salads are really good for that and different kinds of bread. It's a shame to waste the food but there's no choice. And soda in cans is best because you can open it, bring it up to your lips, and no one will notice if you haven't drunk any of it."

"Then there's the old hide the food in the napkin trick," says Emmett. "And you already know that we all sit together at lunch. With six of us, we will take up a whole table."

"You've already figured that out?" I asked.

"We got a tour of the school when we came," said Alice. "But Emmett, you and Jasper shouldn't try to put out those scary vibes on the other kids?"

"Why not?" Emmett asks. "That's half the fun."

"Yeah, but what if some of Renesmee's classmates have older brothers and sisters in the high school?" asked Rosalie. Their parents might not want them to associate with her if they think that she has these big, scary brothers."

"You're right," agreed Jasper. "But Bella, you have to worry about the boys who may be a little too forward. They'll probably bug you the same way that they will bug Alice in the beginning."

"Don't they annoy Rosalie?" I asked.

"Are you kidding?" says Edward. "Most of them can't pick their jaws up off the ground when they meet her. And even though you might be fantasizing about her, they wouldn't even have the nerve to speak to her."

Rosalie smiles smugly.

"They fantasize about her?" I gulped.

"They fantasize about all of us," he says matter-of-factly. "But most of them won't ever say anything."

"If they do," advised Alice. "Just let them down easy. After all, they're only human!"

"That's one way of looking at it," said Edward. "But sometimes they don't take a subtle hint. If they're too persistent, you may need to call in reinforcements."

"But never forget that in school, Edward is not your husband," said Rosalie. "As freshmen, you really can't even be dating, especially since you live in the same foster home. In a year or so, we can ease up, but it's better in the beginning to create the illusion of distance."

"I know that I'm going to mess up," I groaned.

"If you do," said Alice. "I'll let you know. Remember that we can talk very quickly and low and still understand each other. And for now, we'll do that in English. But if you say as little as possible, you will be okay."

"Well, this whole Bella is so shy thing is going to wear thin pretty fast," I complained. "I can't believe that I have to go directly to my new guidance counselor so that she can check up on me. I hate guidance counselors."

"Well, don't be too reticent with her," warned Jasper. "Or she'll be all over you. Remember the guidance counselor in Orono, Maine?"

"That joker?" asked Emmett. "He decided that you had severe post-traumatic stress disorder and wanted s psych evaluation. It was a good thing that Carlisle is a doctor. So, yeah, be careful not to play it up, or in this case down, too much."

I am still ruminating over all these things when I hear Esme calling for us to leave. Naturally, we are all out at the van in seconds flat. As the largest, Emmett gets to ride shotgun, even though last night Alice had mischievously called "shottie" for this morning.

Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie will sit in the back. Edward, Renesmee, and I will have the middle seat. After Esme drops us off at the high school, she will take Renesmee over to the elementary school.

Edward sits between Renesmee and me and holds our hands.

"Do you feel ready, sweetheart? he asks Renesmee.

"I think so," she says. "I'm meeting Celine at the main office and then we are going to homeroom together."

"Are you okay, honey?" he asks me.

"Sure," I say. "At least I don't have to worry about fainting."

"Stay out of the nurse's office!" says Rosalie. "You know what will happen if she touches you or tries to take your temperature."

"I know," I reply. "My Dad is a doctor, please call him. Or I can ditch."

"Not until we figure out how well they enforce the school policy on cutting classes," says Emmett. "The rules look pretty tough on paper, but all school rules look like that. We have to gauge how seriously they take them."

"Alice," I say. "Don't leave me alone for a second!"

"It's okay, Momma," pipes up Renesmee. "I'm sure that you will be just fine."

"I hated high school the first time around," I grumble. "I can't believe that I signed on for an eternity of it."

"It's too late for buyer's remorse," chuckles Edward. "This was what you wanted."

I scowl and Renesmee giggles. The rest of the family at least tries to hide the smiles on their faces.

Edward puts his arm around me, and whispers, "It's only seven out of twenty-four hours, and just think. You don't have to waste any of them sleeping."

Esme, who has been remaining out of the fray, pulls up to the drop off area of the high school. There is a line of SUVs, heavy duty Jeeps, and mini vans that has already formed. Unlike Forks, where most of the cars were older, the kids here drive newer models of heavy snow-worthy vehicles. With a brief hug and kiss to Renesmee, Edward and I are off.

The kids are dressed, well, like kids, in jeans, sweatshirts and the usual assortment of jackets. I notice that the hockey team jackets, both male and female, are prominent. The overall tone of the school seems casual. Unlike Forks, there is a mix of white and First Nations or Native American students. The kids, like Jacob, who lived on the La Push reservation had their own school.

But up here, there didn't seem to be any division. Even when we got out of the car and walked over to the gym to pick up our class schedules, there were no kids that seemed on the outside of the main stream in anyway. It feels odd not walking with Edward and holding his hand, but Alice is close to me. He walks with the other two guys. Rosalie walks a little to the front of us.

It is only now that I see her once again around a large group of humans that I realize how much she loves the attention that she grabs with her stunning looks. Edward always said that she was very vain, but I really could care less. Everyone, male and female, is so focused on her that they don't seem to notice Alice and I in her shadow.

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper are walking along casually laughing and punching each other. They have the whole high school kid thing down pat. If it wasn't for the fact that they were unbelievably handsome, they would appear to be regular guys. But as they walk by, I can see groups of girls standing and pointing. I could swear some of them are drooling.

"It's always like this is the beginning," whispers Alice to me so softly and quickly that only a vampire could understand. "Rosalie likes strutting her stuff for the first time. And yeah, some of those girls are actually drooling over our men. I used to feel like the odd one out, but now I have you to keep my company in the 'please don't notice me' section. Rosalie is deflecting most of the attention from us, but I can still see a few guys checking us out."

"I'm afraid to look up," I whisper back.

"That's okay, just stick by me," she says hurriedly as we get in the line for the freshmen.

Edward is already ahead of us and turns around and says, "Hey, Alice! How is Bella holding up?"

"She's holding up," says Alice. "Don't worry honey, Edward and I will take care of you."

One of a pair of girls behind us says, "You're new aren't you?"

"Yes," replies Edward smoothly. "We're Dr. Cullen's kids."

"Wow!" says of the girls. "He's like, the hottest doctor we've ever seen. But aren't you a little old to be his kids?"

"Haven't you heard, Sarah?" says the other. "They're all adopted."

"Some of us are adopted," says Alice. "And some are foster kids. Edward and his little sister Renesmee, Emmett, the big guy over there, and I are adopted. The twins Rosalie and Jasper, and Bella here are all foster kids."

"Oh, my!" says Sarah, checking Emmett out with what us clearly lust in her eyes. "Is Emmett like, football or hockey or something?"

I bite back a smile trying not to think of the serious damage that Emmett could do to any humans who got caught in his way in either sport.

"We're not into competitive sports," says Edward easily. "We prefer wilderness types of things, you know, hunting, fishing, hiking, back packing."

"Cross country skiing?" asks Sarah. "We do a lot of that up here."

"Not really, huh, Alice?" he says. "We tried it while we were living in Alaska, but were more into the survival things."

"I don't really like sports," she says wrinkling her nose. "You know, I'm so little. Besides I'd rather shop. Right, Bella?"

I give her a tentative smile. Edward and Alice make it look so easy! But even when I was human I never really liked small talk. The best thing about Jessica Stanley was the fact that she did all of the talking.

I look over at the other three in the sophomore line and notice that they are standing more aloof. But I suppose that between Rosalie's stunning looks and the size of Emmett and Jasper, they are actually not too approachable.

It is our turn to go up to the table and we leave the other two girls behind. Edward is smirking as we walk away.

"Yes," says Alice under her breath. "You'll see them at lunch."

Before I can think, the woman at the table asks, "Name?"

"Edward Cullen," he says.

"Here is your schedule, did you get your books?" she asks quickly.

"Yes, ma'am," he says politely.

"Next," she says.

"Alice Cullen," says Alice.

"Here's your schedule did you pick up your books?" she asks almost robotically.

"Yes," says Alice.

"Very good, move along," she says. "Name?"

"Bella Swan," I say softly.

"Excuse me?" she says. "Could you please speak up?"

"Bella Swan," says Alice loudly.

"Yes, Isabella Swan," she says, pulling out a folder. "I have a note here that you need to see your guidance counselor instead of going to homeroom."

I throw an anxious look at Alice.

"It's all right," says Alice gently, as she puts her arm around. "I'll go with you."

"Fine," says the woman as if she doesn't care.

Then she hands me my schedule, and says, "Next?"

"I hate being singled out," I grumble as we walk away.

"Don't worry," says Edward. "Nobody noticed. They're all too busy talking to their friends and thinking about which teachers they got. I've already figured out that I've managed to get the worst Math teacher in the ninth grade and the best History teacher. Let me see you schedule."

Alice hands hers over. Our schedules are identical.

"Nothing too bad," he says. "It's a good thing that you're good in Biology, Bella because you have a real dragon. But things like having homework assignments always in on time and being ready for pop quizzes aren't a problem for us."

"Well, let's go find Mrs. Murphy and get this over with," says Alice.

"Who is Mrs. Murphy?" I ask.

"Your guidance counselor," Alice says. "Edward, what's the word on the street about her?"

I can see him scanning the thoughts in the room.

"Very sympathetic," he says. "But nosy. And be careful what you tell her. I've picked up from a couple of faculty members that she is a gossip."

"How did you pick that up?" I ask.

"I'll tell you later," he says. "Alice, I'll cover for you in homeroom while you take Bella to guidance. What's the story, Bella?"

"Carlisle and Esme became my foster parents two years ago, after I was taken to the emergency room in Fairbanks by social services," I obediently repeat. "My single mother had just been arrested for selling drugs and I never knew my father. I showed signs of abuse. Carlisle was the only person that I would talk to. Then Esme met me and immediately wanted to help me. Is that right?"

"That should cover it," says Alice. "If she starts to pry then I will start talking. Don't make up any details. Edward, you should probably listen to all of this. Can you get at her thoughts if you are focused on me?"

"No problem," he says. "Oh, man! Emmett and Rosalie are already holding hands!"

"Go deal with it!" says Alice rolling her eyes.

"What happened in Vermont?" I ask Alice after he walks away.

"They were playing freshmen and got a little too 'physical ' in school," she says. "The rumors were so bad that we had to move away. They could never be freshmen again. And Carlisle always makes sure that they are not in the same classes. Let's go and don't forget to walk at human speed!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I say smartly, but very glad for the reminder.

A warning bell rings, as we are halfway there.

"Don't worry about anything," says Alice. "I can already see both of us leaving her office and laughing."

Alice's assurance gives me courage. You would think that a vampire who faced down the Volturi would be a lot braver facing a high school guidance counselor. But my mind shield was an effective weapon against the Volturi. It is completely ineffective against humans.

We walk into the office arm in arm. A woman with jet-black hair and very pale skin looks up at me. Her eyes are intensely blue and when she sees us, she smiles.

"This must be Bella," she says kindly. "And which sister are you?"

"I'm Alice," she says.

"Thank you for bringing Bella here," says Mrs. Murphy dismissing her. "You may go to homeroom now."

"Can't she stay with me?" I ask.

"No," says Mrs. Murphy. "It's the first day of school and she needs to be in homeroom for the announcements. And she is expected."

"My brother Edward is there," says Alice, giving Mrs. Murphy her cutest, pixie grin. "He will explain and tell me what I need to know. I know that Bella needs me."

Mrs. Murphy is charmed by her caring manner. And I don't have to fake looking scared.

"I will explain to Mr. Dunmore," she says. "Why don't we sit down and chat a little?"

She opens a folder on her desk.

"Your foster father, Dr. Cullen gave us a little of your history," she says. "You have been living with the Cullens for two years now."

"Yes, ma'am," I say.

"And before that with your single mother," she says. "Were you aware that she was selling drugs?"

I look down at my hands. Alice reaches over and gives my hand a little squeeze.

"Say yes," she murmurs, so low and fast that Mrs. Murphy can't hear her.

I nod.

"Were you in the house when the police arrested her?" she asks.

I look at Alice helplessly. She pats my head and turns to Mrs. Murphy.

"Please, ma'am," she says politely. "It was very traumatic for Bella. She still has nightmares. We try not to mention it. It is too upsetting."

"Yes, of course," she says looking sympathetic.

"Now according to the records you have been home schooled by the Cullens and before that on home study," she says, clearly looking for an explanation.

"For obvious reasons, my mother didn't want me in school," I say.

"Yes, the abuse," she says closing the folder. "Well, I'm sorry that you have had such a hard life. But it sounds like you are part of a very loving and supportive family."

"Yes, I am," I say smiling at Alice with genuine gratitude.

"Well, we will do everything here to make you feel welcome and comfortable," she says. "And if you ever feel the need to talk, my door is always open."

"Thank you, ma'am," I say.

The bell rings and Alice and I rise.

"We don't want to be late for our first class," says Alice brightly. "That wouldn't make a very good impression now, would it?"

"No of course not," she says. "Have a good day."

We walk out of the office doing our best to stick to human speed. As soon as we are out of earshot we start giggling.

"I hope Edward heard that," says Alice. "I can't wait for lunch so that we can hear what she was thinking!"

And I have to admit, neither can I.

_Author's Note: Tomorrow we will get a peek at Renesmee's first day. The next few chapters will be about the new schools and how they all adjust. As a veteran teacher of both high school and middle school the idea of trying to see those places through the eyes of a vampire (especially a mind-reader) is just too much fun. _


	25. First Day of School (Ever)

**A New World Full of Strangers**

**Chapter 25: First Day of School (Ever)**

After we drop the others off at the high school, Esme and I go over to the elementary school.

"Renesmee," she says. "How are you feeling?"

"Do you know how they talk in the books about having butterflies in your stomach?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "Is that how you feel?"

I nod.

"Well, just think," she says. "You know one other person and she already considers you her friend. Would you like me come in with you to get you started?"

"Yes, Mom," I say quietly.

We have arrived at the school building. The parking lot is full of cars. Momma said that it would be like that. She said that the teachers would be there, but there wouldn't be a need for much more parking since the students couldn't drive. Esme pulls into a spot labeled "Visitor" and we get out. I take Esme's hand and we walk into the school together.

Things have changed a lot since I was last here. The bulletin boards along the wall are full of colorful pictures and words. There are signs everywhere welcoming the students back to school. We pass by a couple of classrooms where I can see more colorful things on the walls.

One classroom is full of very small tables and chairs and here is a large alphabet posted. There are pictures of animals up with words in French identifying "le chien" and "le chat." Looking at them, my mind trips over into French. Then down the hall, I can hear two teachers speaking in French about their plans for the first day of school.

"I can understand every word they are saying," I whisper to Esme.

"So can I," she whispers back. "See? It's really very easy."

We reach the main office and Celine leaps up from her seat and shouts, "Bonjour ma chere amie!"

"Bonjour, Celine," I respond. "Ca va?"

"Oui, ca va," she replies.

And we are speaking in French! She warned me that in the French immersion program the students were supposed to speak in French at all times. Some of the kids cheat, but because Celine often speaks French at home with her parents she never does. I was determined not to either, but now I can see that I didn't have to worry.

Daddy had told me that speaking foreign languages was really not as hard as you might think, well, for a vampire anyway. All you had to do was get your brain thinking in the language and it was easy. And since my brain had always naturally absorbed things with the speed of a vampire brain, it was easy for me.

"The trick," he explained. "Is not to let yourself fall into the trap of translating everything from French to English and back again. Translation is an imperfect science anyway. Unless you are fully aware of the cultural and linguistic contexts of words, it is easy to misinterpret them. French is a very idiomatic language, but trust me, English is worse."

Now that I am standing with Celine in the office, I forget why I was so scared. I am here with my friend and she is going to help me. And when I don't understand something, I will just become very quiet. I turn towards Esme and she gives me a big hug.

"You have a good day, honey," she says. "And I will be here at three o'clock to pick you up."

"Where will I meet you?" I ask.

She turns to Mrs. Miller.

"You will see a line of cars for the pick ups," she answers. "Just get in line. In the beginning you will have to show your identification, but once the paraprofessionals know you, they will just let Renesmee get in the car. Renesmee, you will go to the cafeteria and stand with the other pick up children."

"You are very careful with the children," Esme comments.

"We have never had a child kidnapped from any of our schools," she says. "But there is always a first time. When your husband filled out the paperwork, he only permission for you and him to pick her up. The biggest problem in this pick up situation is not what the Americans call 'stranger danger.' It is non-custodial parents or other relatives trying gain custody using, shall we say, unorthodox methods."

"I never realized that there were so many things to worry about when you send your children to school these days," she says. "There are so many things that we didn't have to worry about when we home schooled."

Esme reaches down and gives me a big hug.

"Bon chance!" she whispers in my ear. "Je t'aime, Cherie!"

"Au revoir, mama!" I reply, and cling to her for just an extra second.

"Come, Renesmee," says Celine. "Let's go meet our new teacher."

"Who is she?" I ask.

"Her name is Mlle. Charles," she replies. "And she is the nicest teacher in the seventh grade. We are very lucky that we didn't get Mme. Beauclair. She is very strict."

"Oh," I say as we walk down the long hallway.

There are so many twists and turns that I cannot understand how Celine knows where she is going. But I guess that if I took her into the woods in Forks that she probably couldn't understand how I found my way around either. We finally walk into a classroom with normal size chairs and tables. A pretty young woman is putting out papers on the table. When she hears us come in, she looks up and smiles.

"Why it is Celine Bouchard!" she says in French. "How are you, dear? And this must be your new buddy, Renesmee Cullen."

"How do you do?" I ask, extending my hand.

"Very well, thank you," she says, shaking it heartily.

Her large brown eyes are very merry. Her brown, coffee-colored skin and long black hair glow with health and vitality. She reminds me of Leah Clearwater back home, but I had never seen Leah smile so much. I can see that she already likes me.

"Well, Renesmee," she says. "Why don't we sit down and chat a little bit before the other children come?"

"Yes, Mlle. Charles," I say politely.

After we are seated, she smiles kindly and says, "So this is the first time that you are going to school? Up until now you have been home schooled?"

"Yes, mademoiselle," I reply. "When my family moved here my Mom and Dad wanted us to have the opportunity to put our French lessons to use."

"Yes," she says. "You have six brothers and sisters over at the high school?"

"Yes, mademoiselle," I say. "It is their first day too."

"Yes, I heard that," she says. "How do you like Whitehorse so far?"

"I like it very well, thank you," I say, keeping my answers brief and to the point.

"Do you have any questions right now for me?" she asks, seeing that I wasn't comfortable answering personal questions.

I think for a minute.

"No, I don't think that I do," I say. "Celine has told me a lot of things. But I am sure that once I get started I will have more questions."

"I'm sure that you will," she says thoughtfully. "Celine, you and Renesmee will be sitting together right over there. You will be seat buddies this year."

She is pointing to a pair of desks. It is then that I notice that all of the desks are paired up and lined up in three rows. There are name cards on each desk. Our two desks say "Celine" and "Renesmee." I notice a little accent mark on the second to last "e" in my name. Of course! French! As I look around the room, I can see that it is a cheerful place.

"Would you like to look around?" asks Mlle. Charles, who notices that I am distracted by everything.

"Yes, please," I reply. "I have never seen a classroom before except in books. Your classroom looks very . . . friendly."

"Thank you for saying so," she says, her eyes lighting up. "I want this to be a friendly place where children can enjoy learning. If a completely new student thinks that, then I must have succeeded."

I am glad that I could make her happy. Celine then takes me on a tour of the room. The walls are covered with things like maps and diagrams. There is a large apron-like thing that Celine says that you put cards in to create a word wall. In the back there are some big cushions on the floor in what Celine calls the reading corner. And there is a science corner with a large tank full of tropical fish.

By the time that we have made a full circuit of the room, the other kids have started to come in. I can see that they are looking at me with interest. Celine smiles and whispers in my ear.

"Time for me to do my job, come and meet our classmates," she says cheerfully.

We walk over to the three nearest girls and before I know it, all the girls in the room are surrounding me. Celine introduces them quickly and assures me that I don't have to remember all their names right away. But, who could forget that the blue-eyed girl with red braids is Emma? Or the dark-haired girl with green eyes is Becca? Each girl is a unique individual and each name suits each girl.

They are also all asking me questions at the same time. I realize that I could probably answer them faster than they are asked, but at the same time I know that humans can't do that. So I put a confused expression on my face and look at Celine.

"Hey, girls!" she says. "Renesmee can only answer one question at a time."

"Is it true that you are from Alaska?" asks Becca.

"Yes," I say. "We lived near Denali."

"Wow that's cool!" says another girl. "Did you always live in Alaska?"

"No," I say. "My brother Edward and I were born in Chicago. That's where our parents found us."

"That's where you were adopted," says a blonde girl named Julie. "Did you live anywhere else?"

"Tennessee," I reply, because that's where we adopted Alice and Emmett.

"Wow! You sure have traveled around," comments Emma. "Is that because your Dad is a doctor?"

"My Dad likes to go and work in places where people need him," I say.

"Well, my Dad says that we sure need him here," says Becca. "He says that no one at the hospital has ever met such a great doctor before."

"That's what everyone says about my Dad," I say proudly. "I think that he's the best doctor in the world."

The girls all smile at each other knowingly. Every little girl thinks that her Dad is the best in the world. It makes me wonder what they would think if they knew that my real Daddy was over at the high school pretending to be a freshman. And that he was really 120 years old. But before anyone can ask any more questions, Mlle. Charles tells us to find our seats.

As we go back up front to our seats, Celine whispers, "At lunch, everyone is going to want to sit with us. They all are going to be asking a lot more questions."

"Do they like me?" I ask nervously.

"They love you," she says. "You are a very nice girl and don't think that you're better than everyone here because you come from America. Sometimes that happens."

I don't get a chance to ask her what that meant because Mlle. Charles begins class and that demands our full attention. She becomes very animated as she begins speaking rapidly in French about the new school year

The morning is devoted to explanations of a lot of things that I have never heard of before. After a while, some of the other kids are getting restless and shuffling around while I listen avidly to such rules as bathroom passes and raising your hand if you want to speak. Then she begins talking about the classes that we are going to be taking and what we will be learning.

After hearing her talk about math and science, I realize that I know it all. But it is going to be interesting anyway. When I learned things at home, I read books and talked with Daddy, Carlisle and anyone else who wanted to teach me anything. But in this school we will be doing projects and building things. There is going to be a science fair, a math fair, and a big culture festival during the year. There will be plays to act in and concerts to sing in, all year long.

I understand now why everyone at home was so keen that I get to go to school. They all went to school when they were human. There is a whole lot more to school than just learning. A couple of times during the morning, I steal a look at Celine sitting next to. She always smiles back and once she even pats my hand.

As soon as we get passed the academic subjects and into the plays and projects, everyone gets more excited. Even though everything is new and interesting to me, some of the other stuff is old and boring to most of the others. During the "boring" parts, I could see some of the boys playing with cell phones under their desks. Finally, the bell rings for lunch. But before we can leave the room, Mlle. Charles has one more announcement.

"You all know that the school has a policy that cell phones must stay in your backpacks," she says. "If I even see one set of hands under the desks tapping on screens, I will collect all cell phones before class begins each day and you won't get them back until the end of the day."

There are groans throughout the room. As soon as we get into the lunchroom, the accusations begin to fly between the boys about which one if them was the "loser" who had given the game away. Celine pulls me over to the lunch line and rolls her eyes.

"She didn't have to see any of them to know what they were doing," she whispers. "There's at least one kid in every class who always has one out. Usually by the end of the first week, all the teachers are collecting them before class. I bet Mme. Beauclair collected them in her classroom the minute the kids walked in the door."

"Well, that won't be a problem for me," I say. "Because I don't have a cell phone."

"Neither do I," she admits. "Who would I call anyway? Except for you maybe. Most kids use them to text each other when they're bored at home, or to play games on. Sometimes they take pictures and text them to each other. Last year, a girl in my class took a picture everyday of her lunch and out it on Instagram. Who even cares?"

"My brothers and sisters have cell phones so that they can stay in touch with my Mom when they go out," I say remembering that cover story. "She worries if they disappear for too long."

"You don't go out?" she asks curiously.

"Only with one of them," I say. "I'm not allowed to go out without someone else. I think that they're afraid that someone will steal me."

"That's why I'm not allowed out alone either," she says.

We have reached the food choices. I look at them and wish that I had brought my lunch. I am hungry, but I know that most of what they are offering will make me sick. I don't want to have to leave school early with a stomachache. Then I gulp. I'm not supposed to go to the school nurse's office either.

"What's the matter, Renesmee?" asks Celine and then follows my eyes to the food.

"Oh," she says and looks perplexed.

"What do you want little girl?" asks the woman behind the counter in English. "You're holding up the line."

I look at Celine, who immediately speaks up for me.

"My friend is on a special diet," she says.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" sighs the woman. "What's your name?"

After I give my name, she hands me a special plate from back in the refrigerator behind her. When we get to our table, Becca, Julie, and Emma join us.

"Don't pay any attention to her," says Emma, comfortingly. "She's the meanest cafeteria lady here. Most of them are really nice, but not her."

"No one told me that I had to give my name if I had a special diet," I say.

"I didn't know," admits Celine, looking downcast. "But we can tell Mrs. Miller at the end of the day. I know a lot, but I don't know everything. I don't want to mess up again."

"You didn't mess up," I protest. "It wasn't your fault that you don't know. You're the best buddy that anyone could have!"

Celine's face brightens, and I hear Emma whisper to Becca, "Wow! Renesmee's nice. She didn't make a fuss at all."

"At least we know she's not a drama queen," Becca whispers back.

I make a mental note to ask Momma what a drama queen is when I get home.

Celine was right when she said that our table would be crowded. But because I am so reticent about my life before Whitehorse, the conversation quickly moves to other topics. The other girls are all eager to talk to me about the things there are in Whitehorse. And I discover that what Momma had said about humans is true.

They actually do like to talk more about themselves than anything else. And of course, since I have never met so many humans at one time, everything that they tell me is new and exciting. I think that they can tell that I am not pretending to be interested in their stories. They smile a lot at me.

After lunch we go out to the playground and sit on the grass and talk while the boys kicked a soccer ball around.

"Do you play any sports, Renesmee?" asks Julie when she notices that I am watching them.

"No," I shake my head. "But I want to take dance lessons."

"You should," says Becca. "You are very graceful. Madame would love the way that you stand so perfectly straight. But she will want to see your feet first."

"Why?" I ask.

"A ballerina needs to have a certain shaped foot," she explains. "You should stop by the studio and see her. Classes start next week."

"Do you dance?" I ask.

"I do," she says. "And Celine and Emma. If you can keep up, then I bet that you could be in our class."

"I can try," I say. "Do you dance, Julie?"

"Are you kidding?" she says, laughing. "I'm the biggest klutz in the world!"

I bite my tongue before I can say that when my Momma was human _she _was the biggest klutz in the world.

"You should try," Emma says. "We do _The Nutcracker _every Christmas. The twelves get to be in the party scene _and _dance the Chinese dance."

"That's great," I say, not knowing what they are talking about, but make another mental note to ask Daddy about it.

We hear the sound of the bell and get up to return to class. Celine slips her arm through mine on one side, and Becca takes up the other. Julie and Emma are right behind us. By the time we get to the line, we are giggling for no reason at all. As our class troops in from recess, we pass Mrs. Miller in the hallway. Without thinking, I give her a wave and a smile. Her face bursts into a big smile.

When we arrive back in the classroom, the children are much noisier than before. Mlle. Charles smiles and calls us to order. She tells us to take out our notebooks and write about what we did on our summer vacation. I think hard. What am I going to be able to write about that sounds normal?

"You're lucky," whispers Celine under her breath. "You get to write all about how you moved. I didn't do _anything _interesting."

I notice that the teacher is looking at us and give her a tentative smile. She puts her finger to her lips and frowns a little. I nod and then look down at my blank page, trying to think of how to make my move sound like a human move to a new country.

_Author's Note: Because most of my readers are American, I will be writing all school dialogue in English rather than French. My apologies to those who would prefer greater authenticity, but having to write English translations of everything would get pretty cumbersome after a while._


	26. Lunchtime at the High School

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 26: Lunchtime at the High School**

Once we get out of the guidance counselor's office, Alice and I walk quickly down the hall so that we won't be late for class. We pass by Edward, who rolls his eyes at us.

"I can't wait to hear what she was thinking at lunch," says Alice.

We arrive at the math classroom and grab a couple of seats next to each other. No one even looks at us. The classroom is humming with chatter about summer vacations and plans for fall events. Because it is the very first day of school, the kids are so absorbed in themselves that they don't give a second glance to the two pale vampire girls sitting by themselves. But our anonymity doesn't last long.

The teacher of the class, M. Gardner, calls everyone to order and demands that we stand up around the room while he seats us in alphabetical order. Alice and I look at each other and shrug. There's nothing that anyone can do about that. Like everyone else, we obediently take our seats, Alice in the very back seat in the first row where she has to sit up on her knees to see, and I in the very first seat in the front row where I slouch down.

Since it is the first class, he hands out a list of assignments due in the next month, and more papers with class rules and suggestions for study, all in French of course. In fact, it takes me a few minutes to realize that he has been speaking French the entire time. My vampire brain has simply been processing the meanings of the words without translating them.

About halfway through his lecture, he begins to call on students for answers to simple math questions. That is when I discover that many of the students are stumbling through their French, with relatively poor pronunciation. However, I keep my face expressionless until he asks me a detailed question about coefficients.

My answer raises his eyebrows. I not only know the answer, but I also find myself speaking in flawless French.

"Mlle. Swan," he says. "Have you lived in Quebec or France before?"

"No, Monsieur," I reply. "I have lived in Alaska all my life."

There are some giggles around the room.

"How did you learn to speak such perfect French?" he asks, looking puzzled.

"On the Internet," I reply truthfully, glancing back at Alice, who slides down in her seat and puts her hand on her head.

There is now some laughing in the class, which he silences with a glance. M. Gardner does not call on me again, but gives me a few odd looks. I listen carefully when he calls on Alice and discover that she is speaking more slowly and hesitates before some of her phrases.

I also become aware of a couple of the boys looking at me with interest. Rosalie warned me about this. As soon as the bell rings, Alice flits over to my side and drags me into the hallway.

"What did we tell you about not sounding too smart?" she asks.

"I was just answering . . . normally," I reply. "I mean, I barely realized that he was teaching in French. I understood every word as if it was English. And the question that he asked was easy."

She rolls her eyes.

"Not for a ninth grader," she hisses. "Next time try to look like you are thinking before you answer. We will have to warn Edward. If they try to advance you in math, then Esme will have to come up with some excuse for why you may be a little ahead of everyone else."

"Okay," I say. "What do we have next?"

"History," she says looking at our schedules. "Good, it's Canadian history. You don't know anything about that, do you?"

"I don't think so. Look I'm sorry, but I'm not used to being one of the smart kids in the class," I apologize. "Especially in math class."

"Okay," she says. "I wonder if this teacher sits everyone alphabetically too. I need to sit next to you so that I can poke you, if you're messing up."

"Thanks a lot," I mumble as we enter the room.

But this teacher and the science and English teachers also sit everyone in alphabetical order. It doesn't really bother me too much. It's more disconcerting that the teachers like to "cold call" the students instead of waiting for hands. When I am called to answer on the spot, I get nervous and talk too fast.

Just like at Forks High School, the tendency is to see pretty the same kids in all of your classes. By lunchtime I can see that there are at least two boys who are trying to work up the nerve to say hi to me. Luckily, we get to the cafeteria early, so that we reach the lunch table with the others before anyone else can try to sit down with them. Edward gives me a big grin.

"Mr. Varner would be proud," he comments, smirking.

"Thanks a lot," I reply sarcastically. "Were you watching me all morning through Alice?"

"No," he says. "It's the first day, so I had to pay attention in some of my own classes. By the way, those two guys over there are arguing about which one of them should try to talk to you first."

"Oh, great!" I groan. "The blonde one was staring at me for the last two classes."

"Not bad, Bella," says Emmett. "Two in one morning."

"You better watch out yourself, Emmett," replies Edward. "You've got a cheerleader who wants to jump you in the parking lot after school."

"Really?" he asks. "Where?"

Rosalie gives him a slap upside the head and he says, "Just kidding, Rose. Can't you take a joke?"

"You better watch out, Emmett," answers Edward. "The captain of the hockey team has his eye on her."

"Can't we be just a little bit scary?" asks Emmett facetiously.

"Let's just go with acting indifferent for now and see what happens," says Edward. "By the way, Bella, that guidance counselor wants to get you away from Alice so that she can talk to you alone."

"Great," I groan. "What does she think? And don't spare any of the gory details."

"She has a vivid imagination," he says. "She thinks that it is possible that your mother was prostituting you to pay for drugs."

"Lovely," says Alice. "How did she come up with that?"

"Some of Jasper's handy work with the court documents giving Carlisle and Esme custody had redacted parts to it," he replies. "I told you that she has a creative mind. She was just filling in the blanks."

"Well, if necessary," Rosalie says. "Carlisle can just tell her to bug off. He is a doctor after all."

"I'm not done," says Edward. "She thinks that Alice has an eating disorder because she's so skinny."

"Alice does have an eating disorder, at least to the Volturi," says Jasper drily. "She only drinks animal blood."

We all begin to laugh. Emmett throws part of a bagel at Jasper's head and he flicks it to crumbs in Rosalie's direction. Quick at lightning, she slaps him upside his head.

"Let's just try to act our ages," she says.

"We are," answers Emmett with a shrug. "Fourteen and fifteen, remember? Guys are supposed to be jerks that this age."

"Some guys are jerks at any age," Rosalie mutters.

"Oh, come on," says Alice. "This is kind of fun. I mean, it's not the usual boring school day. What is gym like, Edward?"

"Soccer," he says. "Lots of running to get in shape. Remember Bella . . . "

"I know, keep pace with Alice and if I get the ball tap it," I grimace.

"Man," says Emmett. "I wish that I was like Edward and could see that. I wonder how many miles she could kick the ball if she tried."

"I wonder how many miles she could kick the ball, even if she didn't try," says Jasper. "Are you interested in a little wager?"

"You know, we're laughing over here so much that a couple of kids are going to come over in a minute to see what's so funny," says Edward.

"So?" says Alice. "It's not like that hasn't happened before. Trust me, nothing's going to happen if they come over. Besides, we're the new kids. I'm surprised that no one has come over here yet."

"Right now, they are mostly intimidated by how good-looking we are," replies Edward. "And they are trying to figure out if they have a chance at hooking up with any of us. They are hoping that none if us are dating each other."

"Do they think that that would be weird?" I ask.

"No," shrugs Edward. "Just disappointing. The people here are much more open to differences than those in the United States. It's kind of fascinating really."

"Incoming," says Emmett under his breath.

I look up from the salad that I have been shredding and see two freshmen girls from my science class coming over. Automatically, I smile at them and two people kick me under the table.

"Bella!" hisses Rosalie.

"Hi!" says one of the girls. "Are you like the Cullens, or something?"

"Or something," mutters Emmet so rapidly under his breath that they can't hear him."

"Not all of us," replies Edward smoothly, but coolly, so as not to encourage conversation.

He is too subtle. Even without the ability to read their minds, I can tell that the girls aren't going to give up. Their curiosity has gotten the better of them. I'm glad that we are all together.

"Okay, whatever," says the other girl. "Is like Dr. Cullen your Dad or something? My older sister broke her arm and he set it for her. She said that he's the most gorgeous doctor. She might even try to break the other one. He could like be on a soap opera or something."

Rosalie and I look at each other and roll our eyes.

"My _mother _thinks so too," she says archly.

Both girls look at each other and start giggling again. Now a couple of boys join us. One of them pulls up a chair and sits down next to me.

"Hi!" he says, "I'm Jed and this is Kai. If there's anything that you need to know about Whitehorse, we can help you."

"I think that we're good on that score," says Jasper, speaking for me. "Thanks anyway."

I look down, letting my long hair fall over my shoulder so that half my face is covered. I can see that Edward's hands are balled up in fists under the table. Oh brother! How can he be jealous of a fourteen-year old _child? _Then several more kids come over. Apparently, the first ones have made the others feel brave.

Alice moves more closely to me and whispers, "This happens sometimes. It's not a big deal."

"I'm afraid that Edward might take one of them apart," I whisper back.

"Edward won't touch any of them," she giggles. "I would have seen that."

I look up at her and we both giggle again. She and I obviously have the whole giggling girl thing down, very human. Rosalie looks bored. Emmett looks around at them like he is trying not to laugh, while Jasper looks like he's trying not to look scary. Edward, who is our spokesman because he knows what they are thinking, relaxes.

"Yeah," he says, as if he has gone back to the original question. "Dr. Cullen is our Dad. I guess it must be weird for you guys to have such a big family move to town."

"Kind of," replies a dark-haired girl. "I mean we have some big families in town but not with so many adopted and foster kids . . . "

Her voice trails off and she blushes a deep red. Alice casually lays a hand on Jasper's arm.

"I guess that we are a little . . . different," replies Edward. "Don't worry. We won't cause any trouble."

He flashes her a smile and she practically swoons. Thankfully the bell rings. The cafeteria begins to slowly empty, as students reluctantly return to their classes. Alice and I dispose of our trays and drift towards to exit, with the other behind us.

"Good work, Edward," says Emmett. "But I think that they will be back."

"They are all too curious not to be back," he admits. "But so far none of them have even come close to suspecting anything. They all just figure that we are naturally pale from living so far north. A lot of them are pale too."

"Not as pale as us," says Jasper. "But I would be a lot more comfortable if they would stay farther away."

"Don't worry baby brother," says Rosalie. "I'll take care of you."

"Why am I the baby brother?" he asks.

"Because in Forks, I was the baby sister," she says. "Besides it's only by five minutes."

"At least no one asked anything that was too personal," I comment.

"Don't worry," says Edward, "They will get around to it. But we've got to keep it low key. The humans around here like to take care of each other. If you sound too troubled, they will turn you into the guidance office."

By now, the cafeteria is almost empty, as the crowd has moved into the hallway.

"Okay, guys," says Emmett when we get to the door. "Show time!"

As Alice and I traipse off to our next class at human speed, I can't help but wonder how different I would have felt if I had been going to a high school like this one in Forks. I understand why it's a pain that everyone is trying to be friendly, but something about these kids seems to be more genuine. Of course, it's a lot easier to start school at the beginning of the year rather than in the middle.

As Alice and I take our time moving down the hall, I notice a tall, Native American girl walk up to Edward to strike up a conversation. Without my vampire hearing, I can tell that he is being polite, but she is not easily discouraged. Then they turn into a classroom door. Alice rolls her eyes.

"Poor Edward," she says. "The girl is going to follow him around for the rest of the day. Then before the bells rings for the end of the day, she's going to slip a note with her name and phone number on it into his binder."

"What is he going to do with it?" I ask.

"You'll find out later when he opens his binder while you are doing your homework and he discovers it," she says smiling.

"It's that good?" I wonder.

"You'll see," she replies. "It will be more fun for you if you don't know."

I shake my head as we turn into French class. The teacher's eyes light up when she sees me. No doubt M. Gardner has already filled her in on what a "brilliant" French student I am. My two little puppy dogs, Jed and Kai, are waiting for me. At least their last names are nowhere near mine in the alphabet. I sigh. I don't see how the others could possibly have ever thought that high school was boring.


	27. School Daze

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 27: School Daze**

After the final bell of the day, Celine and I go down to the cafeteria where all of the pickups are waiting for their parents. The bus kids are all lining up in the gym. The cafeteria is crazy with children running all over the place, until a tall, slim woman with a very straight back and iron-grey hair walks in.

"Renesmee! That's Mme. Beauclair," whispers Celine. "She will sort this mess out in no time. See how the other children become silent when she walks past them."

I look at her with large eyes. I wonder what kind of a woman this is, who seems to strike fear in the heart of everyone near her. She is carrying a microphone, which she plugs into the wall. Suddenly, the loudspeaker booms to life.

"Attention, s'il vous plait!"

Immediately, there is silence in the room. Even the smallest kindergartners stop moving. She begins to rapidly give instructions in French, which are then repeated in English by another teacher for the students who are not in the French immersion program. We all sit at tables and wait as a young woman comes in with a list.

She calls off five to ten names and those lucky students get to leave in their cars. She then returns and continues to call off names, until I hear my own.

"Renesmee Cullen."

I quickly turn to Celine and give her a hug, afraid to say a word as Mme. Beauclair is watching me closely. I grab my backpack and swing it easily on my back and skip out to where Esme is waiting in the car with the others. Mlle. Charles is one of the teachers on duty. She quickly steps over to the car.

"Mrs. Cullen," she says. "I am Mlle. Charles, Renesmee's teacher. I would like to tell you that you have a lovely daughter and if you have any questions, feel free to call."

"Thank you very much," says Esme, as I sit beside Daddy and buckle my seatbelt.

Mlle. Charles looks at the van full of vampires and says a little uncertainly, "What a lovely family you have."

Esme smiles and pulls away. A man in a uniform is waving her away from the curb to make room for the next car. Daddy starts to chuckle next to me.

"Teacher's pet already, Renesmee?" asks Emmett. "What's so funny, Edward?"

"Renesmee's teacher couldn't get over how well-behaved we all were sitting here in the van," he says. "She thought that we were more like statues than kids."

"Or humans, I guess," says Alice. "How was your first day, Renesmee?"

"It was so much fun!" I say. "I never knew that humans could be so nice. I mean, I guess that's because I've never been around many humans before."

"Were the other kids nice to you?" asks Momma.

"Very nice," I say. "Now I have four friends."

"Four?" says Emmett. "Wow! I've never had that many friends in school."

"Shut up, Emmett!" says Auntie Rose. "And let her talk. Tell us about your friends."

"Well, there's Celine, of course," I say. "She's my best friend. Mlle. Charles made us seat buddies, so I get to sit next to her for the rest of the year. And then I met Emma and Becca. They go to the dance school with Celine. They said that classes start next week so I need to go see Madame so that she could look at my feet. What's _The Nutcracker, _Daddy?"

"It's a ballet by Tchaikovsky," he says. "It's a Christmas story about a little girl who gets a nutcracker for a gift and then has a dream where she goes to all sorts of wonderful places where the dancers perform for her."

"Okay," I say. "Becca said that she hoped that I could be in their class because the twelves got to be in the party scene and dance in the Chinese dance."

"I have the DVD at home somewhere," he says. "I thought that you said four friends."

"Yes," I reply. "There's Julie, but she doesn't take dance lessons because she was the biggest klutz on earth. But I was very good and didn't say that my Momma was the biggest klutz on earth when she was human. By the way, Momma, what's a drama queen?"

"That's your Auntie Rose whenever her hair gets messed up," says Emmett, before she can answer.

Auntie Rose hisses from the back seat.

"Bring it on, Rose," he says. "Then I'll get to mess up your hair."

"Where did you hear the term drama queen?" asks Momma.

"At lunch I didn't know that I was supposed to ask for a special plate because of my diet," I explain. "Celine felt bad because she didn't know and I told her not to worry because she was the best buddy ever. One of the other girls said that I was nice because I wasn't a drama queen."

"That's a compliment," says Momma. "It means that you didn't make a big deal out of nothing."

"Like getting your hair messed up," says Emmett.

"Give it a rest, Em," says Jasper. "I have to sit next to her back here. She's practically foaming at the mouth."

"Will all of you behave yourselves?" asks Esme. "So then you didn't have any problems, honey?"

"Well," I admit. "Only a bit towards the end. You see we had to write a composition about our summer vacation. Mlle. Charles wanted to see how good our writing skills are. I'm glad that she let us take them home because I had a hard time thinking about how a human would move to Whitehorse. And I really don't know anything about how anyone would move from Alaska. Especially, since I have never been there except to visit our cousins."

"I'll help you, sweetheart," says Daddy. "Your Momma might make you sound like a French genius."

"I'm never going to hear the end of that am I?" grumbles Momma.

"Sure you will, Bella," says Emmett. "I'm sure that you'll do something stupid tomorrow and then we can make fun of you for that."

"What happened, Momma?" I ask.

"Your Momma forgot that she was supposed to act human," explains Alice. "In math class she gave an extensive answer to a math question in perfect French. The teacher asked if she was a native speaker."

"I told you that I'm not used to being one of the smart kids," she says.

"That's okay," says Auntie Rose. "Emmett can give you dumb lessons. He is an expert."

"Hey! I don't know if I can teach what just comes naturally," says Emmett modestly. "You just have to make sure that you fly under the radar."

I can't help but giggle. Pretending to be human is so much fun!

"Hah!" Momma says. "It's a good thing that Esme was parked at the front of the car line or that cheerleader Marcie would have caught up to you. Then Rose would have messed up more than your hair. You were getting ready to let her chat you up."

"I was only thinking about it," says Emmett. "Thanks a lot, Edward."

"Anytime, bro," he says grinning. "Next time you'll think twice before you pick on my wife."

"Esme," I ask anxiously. "Are they always like this after school?"

"Usually they're worse," she says. "But I can't say anything because they are supposed to be acting like kids, not to mention brothers and sisters."

"Don't worry, Renesmee," says Momma. "By the time we get home, we will be out of the high school kid mode."

"Speak for yourself, Bella," says Emmett. "Hey, Edward! Why don't you tell Renesmee about Pauline?"

"Who is Pauline?" I ask.

"She's the girl who has a crush on your Daddy," says Alice. "She didn't leave your side all afternoon, did she Edward?"

"No, she didn't," he says.** "**It's unfortunate too. Alphabetically, her last name puts her across the aisle from me in all of our afternoon classes, one of which is science."

"Lab partner?" asks Jasper.

"Naturally," he says.

"Tough break," he says. "My lab partner is a little girl who is scared as hell of me. And I didn't even try to act scary. So does she smell as good as Bella did?"

"No one could ever possibly smell as good as Bella did," says Daddy. "I wish this girl was as shy as Bella was."

"Little aggressive, huh?" asks Emmett. "Don't worry. I'm sure that Bella would be happy to protect you."

"Only if he protects me from Jed and Kai," says Momma.

"Who are they?" I ask.

"Let's see. Edward, do you remember Mike Newton?" she asks.

"As if I could forget him," he grumbles.

"Well, they are like two Mikes following me around trying to be helpful," she says. "Actually, Jed is a little more like Eric Yorkie."

"Bad skin?" asks Auntie Rose.

"No, chess club type," she says.

"Well, after a while," says Alice. "You start to feel like there are a limited number of personalities that high school kids can have. And they just keep occurring over and over again."

"Kind of like their thoughts," says Daddy. "Not too many of them are all that original."

"We're almost home," says Alice. "Who's going to start their homework?"

"Not me," says Emmett. "I'm planning on catching a little football on the flat scene. I'm sure glad that we got that dish. I don't see how you would get TV any other way up here."

"Bella, when are you and Edward going to do your homework?" asks Alice, ignoring him.

Momma looks at Daddy, who shrugs and says, "There's no rush."

For some reason Alice looks disappointed. I have feeling that something funny is going to happen when Daddy does his homework. He looks at me and rolls his eyes.

"I'm going to visit Jacob," I announce. "Esme, has he been around yet?"

"I haven't seen him," she replies. "But if he was tired out from his trip, then he might have spent the day sleeping."

"Okay," I say. "Can you drop me off at the cabin?"

"Sure," she says. "How much homework do you have?"

"Not too much," I answer. "Don't worry. I won't stay late."

"No problem," says Momma. "But don't forget that you have to sleep even if the rest of us don't."

"I won't," I say. "I just want to tell him all about my day."

"That's a good idea," says Auntie Rose, but the way she says it makes it sound like it means something different from what she is really saying.

When we get to the cabin, the van stops and I hop out and wave goodbye. Then I go up to the door and knock.

"Hey! Jacob!" I call. "It's me."

"Hi, Renesmee!" he says. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"I had a _great _day at school," I answer. "Esme said that she didn't see you all day."

"Well," he says. "I slept for most of the day. And then I unpacked my stuff."

"Is Quil going to send you the rest of your things? I ask.

"Yeah, I emailed him," he says. "Didn't someone come with you?"

"No, why would they?" I ask.

"I don't know," he says. "I just thought that they might be keeping a closer eye on you when you are with me."

"I'm sure it's the same as before," I say. "Besides Daddy can hear all of our thoughts anyway."

He looks uncomfortable when I remind him of that, but what does he expect? He knows that Daddy can always read all of our thoughts, except for Momma's. And he does it all the time.

"So what did you do in school today?" he asks me. "Do the other kids like you? Do you have a nice teacher?"

"My teacher is Mlle. Charles and she is the nicest teacher in the seventh grade," I say. "At least that's what my best friend Celine told me. Ad I think that she's right because Mlle. Charles was really nice to me."

"Wow!" he says. "It's only your first day and you already have a best friend."

"Celine is the first friend that I made," I say. "I met her last week because she my school buddy. So I got to go over to her house to play. We like lots of the same things. And now because she's my school buddy, she is also my seat buddy, which means that I get to sit next to her all year long."

"That sounds great!" he says, but he doesn't really say it like he thinks that it's great.

"Jacob, what's the matter?" I ask him.

"Nothing," he says. "What else happened in school today?"

"Well, at first I had thought that it would be difficult to learn in French," I say. "But it's really not. You see when everyone around you is talking in French and all the words in the book are in French, then you just _think _in French. But Daddy also told me that it would be easier for me because I have a vampire. Even Momma thought that it was so easy that her math teacher thought that she was a native speaker."

"That's pretty cool," he says. "I never took French."

"Did you take Spanish?" I ask. "Because that's what Momma and Daddy took in Forks."

"Yeah," he replies. "I took some Spanish. But I was never any good at it. What about the other kids? Were they all nice to you?"

"Oh, yes," I reply. "It was a little scary in the beginning because _all _the girls wanted to talk to me. But then during recess, Celine and I hung out with three other girls, Emma, Becca, and Julie. Emma and Becca take dance lessons with Celine. And I'm going to take dance lessons too. I have to go to the studio to sign up."

"What kind of dance lessons?" he asks me.

"Ballet," I answer. "The girls told me that every Christmas, they perform _The Nutcracker _ballet. They said that it's lots of fun to be in."

"It sounds like you're going to be busy," he comments.

"I guess so," I say. "But I'll never be too busy for you. You're my best friend."

"I thought that Celine was your best friend," he says.

I have to think about that for a minute.

"Well," I say slowly. "Celine is my best friend in school. But a real best friend is someone that you can share all your secrets with. But I have a lot of secrets that I can't tell her. I mean, do you think that her Mama would ever let me play with her if she knew that my family was all vampires?

"And I can't tell her the truth about my special diet. I'm not even sure that I can invite her over. You know, come to think of it, she doesn't even know my real age. She thinks that I'm turning twelve on my birthday, when really it's seven. So I guess that you're stuck with being my best friend."

"I don't think that I feel stuck at all," he says, smiling now.

"So why don't you tell me all about your trip up here?" I ask.

As he starts talking, I can see that he is a lot happier than he was when I was talking about school. Maybe he was afraid that I didn't think that he was my best friend anymore. Or maybe he thought that I wasn't going to have any time for him. But he must know that no matter what, he is always going to be my Jacob. And now that he's here, everything is just perfect.


	28. Kids Will Be Kids

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 28: Kids Will Be Kids**

"Carlisle!" calls Esme. "Did you have a good day at work?"

"Yes, dear!" I reply, smiling to myself in satisfaction.

It is a pleasure to return home after a day at the hospital. Esme is in her study, working on some plans that she has for modifying our section of the house. Naturally, she felt the need to take care of the children first. I don't much care what she does with our portion of the house. I am just happy that we are all together once again.

Alice and Jasper are sitting in the great room chatting about their days. She is perched on his lap while he plays with her short hair with his large hand, creating the little spiky points that are her trademark.

"Hello, you two," I greet them. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was more interesting than usual," replies Alice. "For someone who was so recently a human, Bella is not very good at playing one."

"Too smart?" I ask with a smile.

"And she doesn't always realize it," she says. "She didn't realize her own fluency in French until it was too late. Then she answered a question in math that she should not have known the answer to."

"And I suppose that Emmett has not shut up about it since he got in the car," I say.

"She did it first period," she says. "So the teasing started at lunch."

"But you all made a smooth transition into school," I say. "How was Renesmee's day?

"It was great from what I could tell," she replies. "You will have to wait until she gets back from Jacob's place to talk to her yourself."

"I'm surprised that Edward let her go down there alone," I comment.

"I'm sure that he's listening to every word they say," she shrugs. "And so far I haven't had any visions of him flying down there, so I'm sure that everything is okay."

"So am I," I say. "Where are Rosalie and Emmett?"

"They're upstairs by themselves," says Jasper. "I think that they missed each other."

"Yeah, Carlisle and you better talk to them," she adds. "They can't stay away from each other."

"Well, it has been a long time since we were in school and they couldn't spend every minute together," says Jasper. "It's probably just a little separation anxiety."

"Probably," I say, although I sincerely doubt it. "Bella and Edward?"

"They're off in their rooms too," says Alice. "But they haven't started doing their homework yet."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"When they do," she replies mischievously. "We will all know. But then again, they won't be starting until Renesmee returns home."

I look at Jasper, but he just says, "She won't tell me anything about it."

"How is the future looking for all of us here in Whitehorse?" I ask.

"It's looking good so far," says Alice. "Esme needs to take Renesmee over to the dance studio tomorrow to register her. The dance instructor is going to love her and she's going to get a very exciting part in _The Nutcracker. _

"I can't see her, but I can see Bella and Edward looking at the program. Things are going to be fine at school, although Bella's going to make a few more mistakes. Oh, and the Denalis are coming for Christmas."

"That's great," I reply. "We haven't seen Tanya and them in a while. Of course you can't see Jacob's future."

"No, I can't," she replies. "But I don't think that the fact that he is here will disrupt our lives in any way. But there are no guarantees that he will be any happier up here."

"There are no guarantees in life anyway," I reply.

"Hello, everyone!" says Renesmee cheerfully as she comes through the door with Jacob. "Look who is finally awake!"

"Hey, sleeping beauty," says Jasper. "How's it going?"

"Okay," says Jacob carefully.

"Renesmee," calls Bella, as she walks in. "Oh, there you are. It's time to do homework. Daddy and I are going to do ours, and we figured that it would be a good time for you to work on that essay that you said you needed help with. Hi, Jacob! How are you doing?"

"Hey, Bella!" he replies. "I bet that you thought that your days of homework were over."

"No," she replies. "I always knew that I would end up back in school."

"Any better the second time around?" he asks.

"It has its good points and bad," she admits. "Right now they are mostly good. Can I borrow Renesmee for a while? I don't think that it will take her too long to get her homework done."

"Yeah, uh, sure," he says.

"Hey, Bella?" says Alice. "Can Jasper and I bring our homework along too?"

They exchange a conspiratorial glance. Whatever is going to happen with Edward is about to happen soon. I guess that Alice wants a front row seat.

"Sure," says Bella. "See you later, Jacob!"

"See you later, Jacob!" says Renesmee happily, and goes skipping after her mother.

"Do you want to sit and talk for a while?" I ask Jacob.

"Do I have a choice?" he asks.

"You always have a choice," I reply patiently. "I just want to catch up with you."

"I'm sorry," he says sitting down. "I guess that I'm walking around with a pretty big chip on my shoulder these days."

"It's more like a boulder," I reply. "But you're the one who has to carry the weight of it around. You might want to consider dropping it for your own sake."

"And everyone else's, I guess," he says.

"At the moment," I reply. "I am not thinking about everyone else. I'm looking at you and thinking about you. And I'm thinking that you are not very happy."

"I'm not," he admits. "But it's mostly my own fault."

"Jacob, I know that it may not feel this way to you right now, but I do consider you a part of my family," I say kindly. "You must know that if I had not interceded on your behalf seven years ago, Rosalie would have thrown you out of the house the minute you imprinted, and you would never have seen Renesmee again."

"Do you really think so?" he asks.

"I know so," I reply. "And Emmett would have backed her up, along with Jasper and Alice. As vampires, we feel no compulsion whatsoever to uphold whatever rights wolf imprinting confers on the imprinter. Esme would have sided with me."

"And Edward?" he asks.

"Edward took himself out of the conversation before it started," I reply. "But you are lucky that he was more concerned with Bella than Renesmee at that time. He didn't want to get involved, although there are times when I am not sure that he hasn't regretted that disinterest since."

"So are you saying that I owe you something?" he asks.

"You don't owe me anything," I reply. "But I also don't owe you anything. That knife cuts both ways. Now as a doctor, as a scientist, the whole imprinting phenomenon fascinates me. But at the same time, because of your feelings for Renesmee, our lives were put on hold for quite a long time.

"If Renesmee had not been born, we would have left Forks when Edward and Bella returned from their honeymoon. We would have disappeared, so that Edward could change Bella and we would not have to worry about breaking the treaty. But this summer, I was no longer in a position where I felt that it was fair to the rest of us to stay around Forks any longer."

"Why didn't you wait a few more weeks until she turned seven?" he asks.

"Jacob," I say gently. "She is presently one week away from the age of seven. We were estimating her rate of growth from a minuscule sample of four. For whatever reason, she is not like Nahuel and his sisters. Although it is probably more accurate to say that their age estimates may have been off. And no one kept the kind if precise data that we needed to verify what we were told.

"The bottom line is that regardless of her physical maturity, her emotional maturity is nowhere near full grown. And the way that your imprinting has been described to me, you know this better than I do. Would you say that she would be ready to marry you in a week?"

"No," he admits.

"And I suspect that you have no romantic feelings towards her either," I continue.

"Of course not," he says. "That would be creepy."

"I fully agree," I say. "That would be creepy. So then, we are agreed that even at age seven, she is not fully matured. In that case, there is no reason in the world that you cannot continue to maintain your present relationship with her. I can see how happy it makes her to have you here. Therefore, I will do everything that I can to keep you near us."

"Except return to Forks," he says sadly. "I know. Saying it doesn't change anything. And moving here wasn't about me. I get that too now. I mean, I can see how happy she is. In fact I can see how happy you all are. But tell me, shouldn't I be having this conversation with Edward?"

"Jacob," I reply. "You know that we are presently engaged in a very elaborate human charade. At the moment, my son is pretending to be a fourteen-year old boy. Besides, I am the coven leader. Naturally Edward agrees with me or I wouldn't have spoken to you, but decisions such as this are ultimately mine. He knows this and accepts it."

"Does Edward agree that I should be allowed to stay in Renesmee's life?" he asks.

"Yes, he does," I answer firmly. "As I said before, most of us accept you as a member of our family. And the ones who don't, as far as I am concerned, don't matter. Someday, and I have no idea of how far in the future it will be, Renesmee _will _be old enough to make choices for herself about where she lives and who she lives with.

"Edward, Bella, and I have discussed this extensively and we want you to know that we do not want to close the door to you as a future partner for her. When she is old enough, the choice is hers. It has always been my feeling that being a member of a coven was not a contract for the rest of eternity. That is the way it is for all of us. But until Renesmee is old enough to decide for herself, she stays with her parents."

"I understand," he says. "It's just hard for me to be away from La Push."

"Well, I'm sorry to be critical of your council," I reply. "But they have taken a very hard line about Renesmee living there. I am not thinking about now of course, but in the future. They really have limited your options. However, we are placing limitations on them as well."

"No, but, your limitations are actually very reasonable," he says. "I mean, I can wait until Renesmee grows up. And I am happier being here, close to her. I'm going to have to figure out what to do with myself while she's in school and going to dance classes and all that, but I'm not sorry I came."

"That's good," I say. "Tell me. If we were still in Forks, what would you be doing?"

"Oh, I would be running patrols with my pack or hanging out with Renesmee," he says.

"Well, up here you don't have your pack," I reply. "And it would be good for you to make some human friends outside of the family. And you don't have to sit around all day. From what I have heard in town, there are always jobs for big, strong young men like you.

"In fact, Emmett and Jasper have already had a couple of job offers that they couldn't take. They pay good money up here. Or if you like, I could pay for you to go to the college in town. They have some excellent vocational programs from what I here."

"Look," he says. "You've already done too much for me with the cabin and the truck. I don't want to be a total charity case."

"You're family, remember?" I say. "And besides, if you are planning on supporting Renesmee some day then you will need some kind of profession. Besides, look at all the young people that I already support. The only one of them who has his own money is Edward. But I take care of my family. That's the way that I am."

"Just out of curiosity, Carlisle," says Jacob. "Where does all of your money come from?"

"Like Edward, I had an inheritance of sorts when my father died," I explain. "It wasn't as much as Edward's, but I led a comfortable life. When Alice joined the coven, she discovered that she was very good at playing the stock market. She got an MBA in finance and accounting.

"She could see where trends were going and because of her degree, knew how to interpret them so that she knew when to buy and sell. Once you accumulate a certain amount of money that way, if you can see market trends, it is easier to grow it."

"And that's how you support everyone," he says. "So then you really don't need to be a doctor to get by."

"I am a doctor so that I can help humans," I explain. "It gives me great pleasure and happiness to heal the sick and save lives. It helps me to rise above the inhuman monster that I really am."

"No, Carlisle," he says. "You're not a monster and you're a pretty damn good father. In fact, you're probably more of a father to me than my own Dad. It's funny; because when I was riding up here and thinking, I decided that Edward was lucky to have you as his father. I mean when he brought Bella home the first time you welcomed her. Even though she was completely different."

"She made him happy," I reply simply. "I had watched him be lonely and miserable for the ninety odd years since I had created him. It didn't matter to me who she was; she helped him to discover his heart. And I'm sorry to tell you this Jacob, but you never stood a chance with Bella once they fell in love."

"I know that now," he admits. "And when I see her with him, you know, so happy, I'm glad for both of them. I just wish . . . "

"What, Jacob?"

"I wish that I didn't feel the pull back to La Push," he says. "It's really the only thing that's making me unhappy now that I have talked to you and know how things are. I wish that my biggest decision now was whether I should go to school or get a job."

"So you are no longer adverse to me paying for your schooling?" I ask. "You didn't feel like a charity case?"

"Well, if Blondie doesn't feel like a charity case, then why should I?" he asks.

"I can think of no reason," I reply. "But on a more serious note, you still aren't able to make the decision to stay with us permanently? Or at least until Renesmee is old enough to decide her own future?"

"No, you see, I . . . "

But he can't finish because of the laughter coming from the back of the house where Edward and Bella's rooms are. Renesmee comes flying into the great room waving a scrap of paper in her hand.

"Look, Carlisle! Look, Jacob!" she cries in delight. "Some girl has given her phone number to my Daddy!"

Edward comes racing in with Bella, Jasper, and Alice right behind him.

"Renesmee give that back to me!" he shouts.

But I am too quick and grab it from her fingers.

"Dear Eddie, (I read aloud) U R so hot! Call me at 999-508-0123. Pauline. P.S. I will totally be good for you."

"Come on, Carlisle, give it back!" says Edward.

"I don't know," says Jasper. "I like Renesmee's plan for it better."

"What do you want to do with it?" I ask her.

"I think that we should put it up on the fridge with all of the other funny stuff," she says.

"What funny stuff?" asks Emmett coming down the stairs from his room. "What's going on down here?"

"Edward just got his first note from that girl, Pauline, in his class with a phone number on it," says Alice.

"First note?" asks Bella.

"There will be more," she assures her. "We all get them. But that's a funny idea, Renesmee. We can put all of them up on the fridge!"

"Hell, yeah!" says Emmett. "Then I can call up Pauline and tell her that I'm Eddie, and invite her out or something."

"Emmett," groans Edward. "You don't know what that girl was thinking all afternoon."

"Yeah, but the look on your face helps me make a pretty good guess," he says. "You better watch out Bella."

"No, Pauline better watch out," she says. "Right, _Eddie?"_

Edward growls at the use of the nickname. None if them can control their laughter now. Renesmee is practically rolling around on the couch giggling and Jacob looks absolutely bemused for a minute. Then he turns to me.

"I can see why I just had my conversation with you," he says, and then breaks down laughing.

I look at all my children and laugh. Jacob suddenly looks happy and carefree, just like one of them. I am selfishly glad that the Quileutes won't let Renesmee live on their land. Perhaps Jacob can break their hold on him and we can all be happy like this for a while. Esme stands at the door of her study looking at me with a baffled expression on her face. I shrug. Kids will be kids.


	29. Direction

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: Sorry to my readers that the updates are a little slower in coming. I have reached a critical stage in my story "Jewel in the Crown" and it is absorbing more of my time. I still have an interesting story arc here that I want to pursue._

**Chapter 29: Direction**

It's late in the evening on the first day of school for the Cullens, and I need to go back to the cabin. It's almost time for Renesmee to go to bed anyway. Bella takes the opportunity to walk down to the cabin with me. It is the first chance that we have had to talk alone since this whole mess began.

"So, Jacob," says Bella. "Have you thought about what you are going to do while you are up here?"

"I'm still considering my options," I answer. "I mean, I obviously can't sit around here all day doing nothing. I guess that I could get a job. You know, I'm a big strong guy. Carlisle offered to pay if I wanted to take some college courses, but I don't know."

"What don't you know about?" she asks.

"Well, I just don't like the idea of being financially dependent on him, you know?" I reply.

**"**So?" she asks. "It's not like the others aren't. Carlisle would be happy to send you to school. You know how big he is on education."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't ask me if I wanted to go to high school," I grumble.

"No offense, Jake," she says with a smile. "But there is no way that you could pass for high school. But, how about this? You get a job during the day and take a couple of classes at night. Lots of people do it. You can let Carlisle pay your tuition for the first semester and then take over from there."

"I'll pay him back," I say.

"No, you won't," she says chuckling. "He'll never take your money. And that is just how he is. In fact, he would be insulted if you suggested it. But if you want to work, you should talk to Jasper. He will need to forge you some working papers."

"Won't I also need a student visa if I decide to go to school?" I ask.

"That's a question for Jasper," she says. "He's the family expert on all of those things."

"Yeah, I guess that if you're going to keep changing identities every time you move around, then you need someone like that in the family," I say. "How did he get the job?"

"Well, as you know, he was a Confederate soldier when he was a human," she explains. "They did a lot of forgery back in those days. Of course, with the advent of computers and all kinds of digital identification and linked databases it's getting harder. But Jasper keeps up with all of the latest things."

"I'm sure that he does," I say. "Isn't it kind if weird for him to sit in a high school history class learning about all the stuff he lived through?"

"Yeah," she replies. "Especially when they get stuff wrong. But he sucks it up. They all do. I mean, I guess that I will too in a hundred years. But actually, being in high school as a vampire is a lot more fun than as a human."

"Why is that?" I ask. "I mean, isn't it a pain having to deal with Emmett when you get home?"

She rolls her eyes at me.

"I've been dealing with Emmett for the past eight and a half years," she answers. "Ever since he met me he's been teasing me one way or the other. The thing about Emmett is that sooner or later he walks into some situation where he can be teased. Remember the arm wrestling contest my first day as a vampire?"

"I'll never forget it," I say laughing. "The look on his face when you slammed his hand down was great! But what else is fun about high school?"

"Well, going to class is fun," she says. "It would be more fun if Alice and I could sit next to each other and giggle, but all of the teachers sit their classes in alphabetical order, like it's a rule or something. And lunchtime is fun, even though we can't eat obviously. But the others say that it's a little weird here."

"Why is that?" I ask curiously.

"Apparently, most of the time, the Cullens are treated as a combination of outcasts and weirdoes," she says. "But so far that has happened yet. Of course the school year is young. The crushes are old hat. The tough part comes if some of the kids want to get too friendly. We can't let anyone get too close."

"What about Renesmee?" I ask.

"It's easier for her because she's half-human," she says. "She has fewer limitations when interacting with humans and a lot of them involve not saying the wrong things about us. But she's happy to have the chance to make friends outside of the family, so we're going to help her anyway that we can. It's a little hard for me though."

"What's hard?" I ask.

"Well, I'm her Momma," she says. "But Esme is her Mom in public, which means that she gets to meet the friends, the teachers, and the parents of the friends. It's not so bad for Edward because he gets to be her overprotective, biological older brother. But I have to keep my distance."

"I guess I will too," I sigh.

"Only in town and around her friends," she says. "Here at home, you're still her best friend. Edward told me that you're viewing her more realistically now."

"Can't that guy ever stay out of my head?" I grumble.

"He didn't pick that up from you," she says with a smile. "You had a conversation with Carlisle, remember? Carlisle was thinking about it."

"Oh," I say. "Then that's okay, I guess."

"It's life around Edward," she shrugs. "You should be used to it by now. Everyone else is."

"That's easy for you to say," I reply. "He can't get into your head."

"No," I reply. "And he doesn't try to eavesdrop on you. But Renesmee does think about you a lot. In fact, while you were absent from her life, she thought about you almost all the time. As long as you make her happy, then he's happy. We just don't want you to make her feel torn in two."

"Which is why I'm welcome to stay with you now," I say with an edge in my voice.

"Jacob," she says patiently. "For the last time, Renesmee is not old enough to make these choices for herself. We are not putting that burden on her and neither should you. Did you think that she was all of the sudden going to magically grow up at the age of seven?"

"I don't know what I thought," I sigh. "That's irrelevant anyway. If she can't come to live at La Push, then that changes all my old assumptions."

"You know that you are welcome to stay with us as a part of our family," she says. "And that, when she grows up, if Renesmee chooses you then we won't stop her from being with you, even if it means you move away together. But I have a feeling that's not your problem."

"No, it's not," I admit. "In fact, I owe all of you am apology for the way I treated you back in Forks. I guess that I was kind of a jerk."

"You were a jerk," she says bluntly. "But that's okay. I'm used to it and so is everyone else. And even though I am Renesmee's mother and her happiness is my main concern, we've been friends for a lot of years, Jake. I want you to be happy too."

"I can tell that," I say. "I mean, I can't believe what you've done for me."

"Yeah, I know. I can see how you would think that it's over the top," she says. "But look at what we've done for ourselves. We like to live well, and Edward and Carlisle are both generous to a fault. When Alice and Jasper joined the family, they came with literally no money or possessions to their names. And Emmett, well after he was turned, he was worried about his family in Tennessee, so Edward gave him a large sum of money to help them get by without their main breadwinner.

"On the other hand, I know how you feel about not wanting everyone to think that you're taking financial advantage of us. So get a job and go to school. You're young. What are you, almost twenty-four now? Try things out. See what fits. Be glad that you don't have to spend the rest of your life going to high school."

"Like you?" I ask.

"Actually, I will get to go to college a few times too," she says cheerfully. "But I'm 'frozen,' so to speak, at a pretty young age. You are an adult, and you're half-human, so you have more options."

"Does it bother you?" I ask. "Not having more options?"

"No, not really," she says. "My needs are simple. I have Edward and I have my family. And even if Renesmee decides to marry you and go her own way, I know that you'll both be back to visit."

"You say that so naturally," I comment. "Like you believe it could come true."

"Well, I guess that's because it's always been my assumption somewhere in the back of my head," she says. "And admit it, it's been in the back of your head too."

"Okay, I admit it," I say. "But not until she's old enough. And yeah, as I was talking to her before, I could see how she's still a kid. And I could see how much she liked having her little friends. It never occurred to me that she missed playing with kids her own age. I mean, she was never really interested in playing with the other kids on the Rez. I just thought that it was because she was too mature for them."

I can see Bella biting her lip.

"What?" I ask her.

"She didn't like playing with them because they were so different," she says. "And they treated her like she was different, which of course she was. They didn't know how to talk to each other. Renesmee's education has just been so different from theirs.

"She has read so many books and has a tremendous interest in the arts. She found all of the history and culture of the Quileutes interesting, but a very narrow topic. Her expectations in life are different too.

"She wants to travel and see the world. She has spent her whole life hearing stories from the others about places like London, Paris, and Africa. She's been to South America. She has a very different perspective of the world from them. She doesn't want to live at La Push for the rest of her life. But it's important that _you _realize that she wants to do those things with _you_. You're her best friend."

"Yeah, we talked about the best friend thing," I say. "She told me that I'm her best friend because she doesn't have to hide who she really is from me. She can't tell all of her little school friends the truth about her family. This little girl, Celine, is her best friend at school."

"And that makes you special to her," says Bella. "But every little girl wants a best girlfriend. I never really had one until I met Alice. Angela Weber was my best friend at school, but I couldn't tell her all of my secrets either. I guess that's why it's so important to me that she gets to have that. But even I realize that being who she is places limitations on the nature if her friendships outside the family. Having a friend that you don't have to lie to, or withhold information from is very special."

"So then, you're good with the way things are right now?" I ask.

"Yes, very good with it," she says. "And so is Edward, and that's really all that matters. I was pretty worried about you being so far from Renesmee. I imagine that it was very painful."

"It was," I admit. "But part of that _was _my own fault. You told me that I could come along, but instead I chose to sulk at home because I wasn't getting my way. Then, I started fighting with my Dad and the Council. In the end, it was Sam and Quil who bailed me out. The one year thing was Sam's idea and Quil went along with it."

"Are you and your Dad really on bad terms now?" she says.

"I'm afraid that we said some pretty harsh things to each other before I left," I say. "I'm kind of ashamed of myself now. I accused him of being a bigot."

"That is pretty harsh," she agrees.

"Well, he kind of pissed me off when he said that he would have _tolerated _it if I had married you, you know, because you're a paleface," I say. "I'm still not too sure about this whole tribal purity thing that he has going on. Sam understands, but I don't. That's why I think that in the long run, Sam is the better chief for the tribe."

"But you never wanted to be chief," she says. "So I still don't get the big conflict. Edward had tried to explain it to me. In fact, out of everyone, he ha the most sympathy for you. But I just don't get it."

"I can see how you wouldn't," I reply. "I mean when you fell in love with Edward you were willing to give up _everything _for him, including your life. But it's different for me. Imprinting means that I should be able to be like you. You know, give up everything in my life for Renesmee. But I can't. La Push and the Quileutes are in my blood."

We stand outside the cabin in silence for a while, but finally, Bella looks at me and gives me a kind of half-smile.

"Jacob, I need to get back home to tuck Renesmee in," she finally says. "You should think some about your options. You know. Go to town, get the lie of the land. See what the opportunities are. Go over to the college and see what they offer. Most people won't look twice at you because there are so many First Nations people around."

"I noticed that," I say. "And I'm glad that things are back to normal with you guys. I really didn't like the way we left things in Forks."

"Neither did I," she says, pressing her cold cheek against mine. "Have a good night, Jake."

And then she was gone. It's hard now to recall that she was once skinny, little insecure Bella. She still pretty much looks the same as she did when she was eighteen, except for the vampire differences, but she's is just so happy and content. She has found her place in the world. I just wish that I could.

But I'm glad that she told me that Renesmee really doesn't want to live at La Push. And that she never really felt like she fit in. It means that I can drop the whole disagreement with my Dad about her living there. She doesn't want to anyway.

So where does that leave me? In some ways, it kind of frees me. It gives two very clearcut choices. I have two distinct paths, in two completely different directions that I can follow. If I go back to La Push, I will take over as Alpha and tribal Chief. But I am not sure that I can be happy away from Renesmee. After all, the last two weeks were hell on earth. And now that I'm here, close to her and know that I can see her everyday. I feel better.

If I choose Renesmee, then it means cutting all ties to my roots, my homeland, and my tribe. The way that Bella describes my future life with her doesn't sound half bad. I mean, I've never thought about seeing the world. But if it makes Renesmee happy then I bet I'll like it. But it would also make me a kind of nomad, never having a home to call my own. And, I would spend the rest of my life relying on Carlisle to take care of me, or Edward, I guess.

Of course back in La Push, I didn't have a job or anything. It never bothered me that Billy was supporting me, and it never bothered him. And if I were to marry Renesmee someday, then I would be family. I kind of like the way that Bella was talking about that. I can see that I really jumped to a lot of conclusions back in Forks that made things harder on everyone than they had to be.

I can see now that it's not that the Cullens are opposed to Renesmee and I getting married. It's just that I'm going to have to wait longer than I thought. And when she came into the cabin all happy and stuff about school, well, that made me happy too. I mean, she never had a chance at a real childhood.

But now she has a chance to do all the things that other girls get to do. All the other Quileute imprints got to do that. Even Claire is getting to do that. And while Claire is in school, Quil works at his job. If he can do it, so can I. I guess that it would be good if every evening we could talk about our days together. And even if I took a couple of night classes, they wouldn't be _every _evening.

This isn't such a bad place up here. The folks that I met in town at the diner were all pretty nice. I mean, they're curious, but now that I know the cover story, I'm cool. And, Carlisle is right. Who wouldn't want a big guy like me, with my mechanical skills working for them? Then, I would have my own money. I think that I could be pretty comfortable up here, for a year anyway.

It's tough to think any farther out than a year. I wish that I could just make up my mind now and decide to stay with them. But there is a part of me, and I haven't figured out how big it is yet, that belongs to the Quileutes and La Push. But at least I know that I have a year to figure it out, a year to find my direction in life.

_Author's Note: This chapter represents the resolution of the conflict between Jacob and the Cullens over his role in Renesmee's life. From now on, the story will focus on Jacob's inner conflict over which which direction his life should take, Bella's inner conflict over feeling less than a mother to her daughter, Renesmee's feelings about fitting in with the humans in her new circle of friends, the fun and mishaps of all the Cullens in high school, and interactions with the local people._


	30. Teenage Angst

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 30: Teenage Angst**

It's the second day of school and everyone is ready on time. As we pile into the van with Esme it feels like we have been doing it for weeks. Renesmee is excited for two reasons. The first is that she is going to see her friends again and the second is that Esme has promised to take her to the dance studio to register her for classes.

I am beginning to feel jealous because I can't be her Momma for things like this. It's an unanticipated emotion and something that makes me uncomfortable. I love Esme like a mother. In fact she has always been more of a mother to me then Renee. When we get out at the high school, Jasper comes over to me.

"What is it, Bella?" he says. "I can see that something is bothering you."

"It's nothing, Jasper," I reply. "Don't worry about it."

"Come with me," says Alice. "No, Edward, go away. Remember, Bella and I are besties and you're just the foster brother. Give us some space."

Edward grimaces and walks away with a little "help" from Emmett. Rosalie and Jasper go their own way, with him steering her away from her husband. Alice grabs my arm.

"Should we take this into the girls room?" she asks.

"This isn't really necessary," I say. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" says Jed coming up behind us.

"Can I help?" asks Kai. "I've got a good shoulder to cry on. I have three sisters!"

"Well, so does she!" replies Alice smartly. "We are definitely taking this into the bathroom."

The next thing I know, she's dragging me into the building.

"This is a bad idea," I mutter quickly. "What if someone overhears us?"

"Oh, chill out!" she says. "Just brush your hair or fix your make up or whatever standing next to me. No one will hear us."

I know she's right, but I really don't want to talk about this. It feels so petty and stupid. But I really didn't think that it would bother me so much to hear Renesmee calling Esme, Mom. When we get into the bathroom, I pull out my brush and Alice pulls out her makeup case. There are half a dozen other girls in there primping as well.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"It's just that I'm feeling a little jealous of Esme now," I reply. "I mean, it kind of stinks that I can't do things like take Renesmee to the dance studio."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be annoying," she says.

"It's not just annoying," I say. "It's hard."

But our conversation ends when we hear a voice behind us asking in French.

"Aren't you Alice Cullen?"

It's Pauline.

"Sure," she says. "But I'm afraid that I don't know who you are."

"I'm Pauline," she says. "Maybe your brother, Edward, mentioned me. We have a couple of classes together. In fact, he's my lab partner in science."

"No, I don't think that he said anything," she replies. "Did he say anything to you, Bella?"

"No," I say shyly. "I don't think so."

"Bella?" asks Pauline in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I should have introduced you," replies Alice slapping her head. "Silly me! I just assumed that if you knew me, you knew Bella. Bella is my foster sister. But she's a little shy."

As if to prove her point, I tuck one side of my hair behind one ear and let the other side fall forward.

"Oh, of course," says Pauline. "I did hear that there were a lot of you in the Cullen family. Bella, you have the most gorgeous hair."

"Thanks," I say quietly.

Considering how annoyed I am getting about this girl trying to suck up to us to impress my husband, I know that I should let Alice do the talking.

"Oh my! Look at the time!" says Alice quickly. "Come on Bella. We can't be late for math."

"Goodbye, girls!" calls Pauline after us. "See you later!"

"Not if I can help it," I grumble.

"Boy, Bella, you really are in a cranky mood," says Alice. "Lighten up!"

"First my daughter, now my husband," I reply. "This day is not going well."

"Yes, it is," she says. "It's hard in the beginning watching all these girls crush on our men, but you have to learn to laugh at it. Edward hates that kind of stuff. And it's not as if you don't have any admirers."

"Kai and Jed," I groan. "Don't remind me!"

"Well, I just did, so grow up," she retorts. "You know that your husband doesn't have eyes for anyone but you! And you knew before we moved that we were going to have a lot of acting to do. Can you see why we wanted you to be the shy girl? You have a lot to learn about this."

"Okay," I sigh.

We have reached the math classroom, where Alice flits to the back of the room, while I take my seat in the front. M. Gardner isn't there yet so the kids are still talking. One girl says something to Alice.

"Is your, uh, sister okay?" she asks.

"She's very shy," says Alice quietly. "I think that going to such a big school is a little overwhelming for her. We were homeschooled before."

"Oh," says the girl. "It doesn't seem to be bothering you."

"I'm more outgoing, you know, a social butterfly" answers Alice cheerfully. "Bella should be all right soon. She just needs time to make the adjustment."

It's a good thing that M. Gardner comes in at this point because I am ready to go back and smack Alice. Today class goes better because Gardner is lecturing. He doesn't ask any questions. He just wants everyone to sit quietly and take notes. I find that I can do this more easily than before. In fact, I have to slow myself down in case someone can tell how quickly I am writing. But I keep my eyes focused o the front of the room.

Unlike my previous high schools, the classroom is very quiet and everyone is listening with great attention. After a half hour, I realize why. This is a basic math class and M. Gardner is lecturing in French. For students who don't speak French well, in other words most of them, they have to pay very close attention to the lecture.

I'm kind of sorry that I am sitting in the front of the room because it means that I can't watch my classmates. It would be somewhat more entertaining than listening to a math lesson from ten years ago. And it would keep my mind off of thinking about my daughter. I know that I am being petty, but can remember when Renee would come with me to decide about these kinds of things and meet the people who would be teaching me.

By the time that Math is over, I am so lost in my own thoughts that after I pack my backpack that I don't notice Kai come over and pick it up.

"I'll carry this to history class," he says quickly, as Jed bumps into him.

"No fair!" says his friend.

I turn around to see Alice looking at me and trying to control her laughter.

"A little warning?" I ask her.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I could see them trying to decide all through class. I tried to send you a note, but people around here don't pass them like they do in the US."

"Cell phone?" I snap.

"I saw M. Gardner taking it away when you checked," she shrugs."If Edward was watching I'm sure that he enjoyed that."

"Great," I groan and make my way out of the room. "And that will give Emmett more ammunition to tease me. Are you listening Edward?"

Alice cracks up.

"What do I look like," she says when she catches her breath. "A walkie-talkie?"

"I don't know about the walkie part, but you sure do enough talkie," I grumble.

"Jed is going to ask if he can carry your books to English class," she whispers as we walk down the hall. "He's waiting at your desk."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" I say in frustration. "I could carry Kai, Jed, and their books to the next class. What is their problem?"

"I think that they both have crushes on you," she says. "But I'm sure that Edward can tell you. By the way, Pauline is going to try and sit with us at lunch."

"Maybe Jed and Kai will develop a crush on her," I grumble.

She stops for a second and thinks.

"No, I don't see it happening," she sighs.

"Too bad," I say as we walk into the room.

Just as Alice predicted, Jed and Kai are waiting by my desk with huge grins on their faces.

"I'm in your English class next period," says Jed. "I'll take your books."

"I have science with you after that," adds Kai. "I'll carry your books to lunch. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

I look at Alice and am ready to cry I am so angry. She takes control right away.

"Come on, guys!" she says. "My sister is very shy. Give her some space, okay? And we always sit with our family at lunch."

"You do?" they chorus.

"I thought that you were homeschooled before," says Kai.

"We were," she says flippantly. "And we always had lunch together. Now go sit down before I complain to the teacher."

Canadian history is actually pretty interesting. Unlike my siblings, who have studied it before when they lived win Canada and my daughter, who couldn't wait to find out all that she could, I decided to come into the class without any pre-knowledge. It is interesting to see how they start farther back than American history classes do, in other words before the Europeans colonized the land.

After class, Jed grabs my backpack. I could have ripped his arm off if I hung onto it, but I let him take it. Alice comes over and grimaces.

"Enough is enough," she says.

When we arrive in English class, Jed is waiting at my desk like an overeager puppy.

"Thanks, Jed," I say politely. "But I can really handle this myself."

"But you shouldn't have to," he says. "Not when there are gentlemen around who can do it for you."

"I don't suppose that you've ever heard of feminism, little man," says Alice. "Our mother raised us to carry our own things around."

"Oh," he says uncertainly, as she goes over to her seat.

It is a relief when the teacher calls the class to order. The first book that we are reading this year is _Huckleberry Finn. _It's standard freshman year reading, but I was hoping to start with a Canadian author that I hadn't read before. I sigh and listen patiently to a lecture on life along the Mississippi. This class is conducted in English and there is a little more movement and chatter. But that could also have been because the teacher didn't look up once from his notes.

Luckily, Jed takes the hint and leaves Alice and I to walk to science alone. I am grateful for the quiet.

"Anyone else going to show up at the lunch table?" I ask.

"Marcie," she says. "And there are a couple of girls who have been checking out Jasper, but he's been pulling his silent, moody routine on them. There will be lots of guys walking by to check out Rosalie, but none of them will have the guts to talk to her."

"I guess that's one advantage to being drop-dead gorgeous," I sigh. "You intimidate your admirers."

"It's not like you aren't pretty hot yourself," she replies. "It's just that Rosalie likes to attract attention. She likes having people stare at her. If you walked around with her confidence and style, you would have every guy in the school drooling over you too."

"No thank you," I say. "Two are enough for me."

I figured," she giggles.

By the time we reach lunch, my mood has improved. My lab partner is a sweet, little girl named Maggie who is even more shy than I am. It is nice to see that not all of the students here are as aggressive as the ones that I have met so far. I feel bad because I would like to invite her to have lunch with us, but I already expect that we are going to have more people there than we need. That is until o walk into the cafeteria.

Jasper and Emmett are the first two at the table, while Edward and Rosalie are waiting in the lunch line. Alice and I dump our backpacks on the last two chairs.

"Saved you guys seats," says Emmett proudly.

"How many did you scare off in the process?" asks Alice.

"A few," admits Jasper. "But I believe that they plan to be back after they eat. You need to ask Edward."

Alice and I get in the line together. Unfortunately, Pauline jumps in line right behind us. I inwardly groan. Now I have to censor everything that I say. Who knew that going to high school could be so stressful? But Alice whispers to me, quickly under her breath.

"You're doing great, Bella," she says. "Just keep your mouth shut and let me handle everything."

I nod, giving her my best scared look. Then Edward comes up to us, with his tray in hand.

"Hey girls!" he says easily. "How was your morning?"

"It was okay," says Alice. "You know, the usual. I think that poor Bella is starting to feel overwhelmed again."

"Don't worry about it, honey," he says, taking on an almost paternal tone. "You'll get used to it. Is Alice looking out for you?"

I nod and look down.

"I'll see you at the table," he says easily, and walks away.

I look after him longingly and Alice pinches me.

"Not here!" she says through gritted teeth.

I sigh grateful that we have reached the food and grab a salad and can of ice tea. After we pay, we join the others at the table.

"I'm surprised that Pauline didn't say anything to us," comments Alice.

"She was trying to think of something until I came over," replies Edward. "Then her thoughts became incoherent. She's feeling a little jealous of Bella now. She's wondering if we're just friends or not."

"Humph," I say.

"By the way, Bella," he says. "That was a first. I've never has anyone talk to me as she was talking to someone else."

"I knew that you were listening," I complain. "Do you have to do that?"

"Yes, he does," says Jasper. But don't worry, he is listening to a lot of people at the same time. In the beginning it's very important for us to know what people are saying about us. I'm presuming that nothing has come up yet."

"Just the usual stuff," says Edward.

"Some of the guys are wondering if Emmett plays football," he says. "There are at least a half a dozen guys crushing on Rose. The head cheerleader, Marcie, is going to try to get to Emmett through Alice. She thinks that she would make a great cheerleader, something called a flyer."

"A what?" asks Alice.

"That's the girl that they toss in the air," I say.

They all look at me.

"How do you know that?" asks Alice.

"I thought that it was common knowledge," I reply with a shrug. "Cheerleading was a pretty big deal at my high school in Phoenix."

"If you say so," says Alice. "But if she thinks that I'm going to let a bunch of human girls throw me in the air, then she's crazy."

"Well, if we've only been homeschooled up to this point then you can be as ignorant as you want about cheerleading," says Jasper. "I just don't see it."

"Hi, guys!" says Pauline cheerfully. "How has your second day of school been?"

Edward turns his back to her and asks Rosalie a question about his French homework, so Alice turns to greet her.

"Hi, Pauline!" she says. "We're good. How are you doing?"

"I'm well," she says. "I was wondering if maybe you and Bella wanted to hang out today after school?"

"I don't know," Alice replies. "Our Mom picks us all up at the same time and then we have to pick up our little sister at the elementary school."

"You have a little sister?" Pauline gushes. "How sweet!"

"Yeah," says Emmett from across the table. "And Mom's taking her to that dance studio to sign her up for classes. I'm sure that she wouldn't mind if you guys hung out around town while she did that."

If I could have done it without creating a scene, I would have ripped Emmett's tongue out. And it wasn't because I wasn't interested in hanging out with Pauline. I had hoped that I might be able to tag along to the dance studio. But Alice immediately dashes my hopes.

"That sounds like fun!" she says. "Where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't know," she says. "I thought that you might want to see a couple of the cute little dress shops on Main St."

"I'm not really a big fan of shopping," I say quietly (and honestly).

"Oh, come on, Bella," says Alice. "Maybe we can find a new skirt for you."

"I like my jeans," I say, grumpily, as I kick Alice under the table.

"I'm afraid that Bella isn't really about fashion," says Alice. "Rosalie, do you want to check out a couple of the dress shops in town with Pauline?"

Rosalie glares at her and says bluntly, "No."

"Sorry about that," says Alice to Pauline. "Rosalie thinks that she's too good to hang out with a couple of lowly freshmen."

"That's okay, I mean, understand," stutters Pauline. "She's gorgeous."

Rosalie gives the hair flip and reaches over to touch Emmett's hand, because Marcie has just approached the table. However Marcie makes a beeline for Alice.

"Hi!" says Marcie. "I hear that you're Alice Cullen."

"Yeah, I'm Alice and this is my sister Bella," she says.

"Hi Bella," says Marcie dismissively. "Alice, we, I mean the other cheerleaders and I were wondering if you wanted to go out for the varsity squad this fall. I mean, I bet your big brother plays football."

"Actually," she says. "He doesn't. We never went to a school before and where we lived in Alaska they didn't really have football."

"Oh," she says. "That makes sense. Curling? Ice hockey?"

"We're not really a team sports kind of family," replies Alice. "Emmett and the guys are more into things like wilderness backpacking and hunting."

"Oh," she says. "But we think that you would make an awesome cheerleader. I mean, you're just so perky! Don't you think so, Pauline?"

"I don't know," says Pauline. "If she's into individual sports I bet she likes figure skating."

Suddenly, Jasper chokes back a laugh.

"Hey, man," says Emmett taking the opportunity to pound him on the back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," says Jasper coughing. "You know this is fun and all, but the bell is going to be ringing soon. Don't we need to get to history, Emmett?"

"Yeah," says Emmett. "See you later, guys. Don't forget to be on time! Mom doesn't want to be late picking up Renesmee."

"Is Renesmee your little sister?" asks Pauline.

"Actually, she's my adopted sister," says Alice mischievously. "She's Edward's real sister."

"Alice," says Edward turning reluctantly in our direction. "All three of you are my real sisters."

"Oh, you know what I mean," she says playfully.

Thankfully, the bell rings. As we all get up, Pauline places her hand on Edward's arm. Luckily, he's wearing long sleeves so she can't feel how cold his skin is.

"Why don't we walk to science together," she says. "I have a question about the homework."

"Yeah, uh, sure," he says uncomfortably.

Alice drags me away. Rosalie looks like she's ready to kill her.

"What were you thinking?" she says. "Why would I want to hang out with her?"

"Because I had a vision of you and Emmett walking down Main St. hand in hand," she says. "And it's too early for that."

"You could have warned me," answers Rosalie. "Are we going to hang out with her?"

"We never got around to making definite plans," says Alice. "I was just trying to keep her at the table so that Edward would have to walk with her to class."

"Alice! When are you going to grow up?" asks Rosalie.

"Never!" she says quickly, and drags me off to class leaving Rosalie with her mouth hanging open.

Alice and I crack up. Suddenly, I'm in a much better mood. And I realize that being a teenager again isn't really so bad. With any luck, I get as good at this as Alice. It looks like it could be fun.


	31. Options

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 31: Options**

By the time I wake up, it's nine am and the Cullens are already at school. I sigh. If I'm going to see Renesmee in the morning, I'm going to have to get up much earlier. I'm feeling a little down until I go out to the kitchen and see that it is well stocked with bacon and eggs. It cheers me up to know that Renesmee filled up the fridge with my favorites. In fact, I can picture her in the store with Bella saying stuff like, "We have to get this for Jacob because it is his favorite."

I look around the place wondering what I should do with myself. Until I get my stuff from Quil there's nothing to unpack. I haven't been around long enough to get the place dirty. I walk outside to try and get a feel fir the land. It's wild and untamed, but beautiful in it's own way. The air feels dry, nothing like the moist air if the Olympic peninsula, and not as green.

I notice Esme standing outside the house with a sketchbook, so I decide to go up and visit a little. I still don't feel like I have really apologized enough for being a jerk. I mean, I should have known that she would do all that stuff for me. After all, when I ran away from Sam's pack with Seth and Leah seven years ago, she was the one who was determined to feed and clothe us. Bella told me once about how she lost her baby so she was treating all the Cullen "kids" like they were her own kids.

"Good morning, Jacob," she says even though her back is turned to me.

"How did you know it was me?" I ask. "Oh, well. I guess that I am the only one around."

"Actually it was the scent," she says. "I've always found it interesting that even when you're in human form, you still smell like a werewolf. Do you know why that is?"

"To be perfectly honest," I say. "I have no idea. Do you want me to keep my distance?"

"Oh, no," she replies. "I'm used to the way that you smell, just the same as the way that you are used to my smell. Do you think that you finally have caught up on your sleep?"

"I think so," I reply. "I'm just trying to figure out what to do with my day. I have stuff to do to settle in, but I don't know where to start."

"What are you thinking about doing?" she asks, her pencil flying across the page as she sketches some details of the house.

"Well," I say. "I'd like to look around town. You know, check out the job opportunities. Carlisle said that I might want to look at the college too. Bella suggested that I might want to work days and take a course or two at night."

"I did that when I was human," she comments. "I needed the money and I wanted to get my teaching certificate. I wanted to be able to get better work and I always wanted to be a teacher, so for a while I did both."

"Yeah, Bella said that a lot of people do it," I remark.

"Once you get past a certain age, the whole living in a dorm and going to school full-time doesn't make much sense," she replies. "You're there for the education, not the social experience. What kind of classes are you thinking about taking?"

"I'm not sure," I admit. "It's not like I finished high school as a star student. I barely squeaked through my GED tests. I joked with Bella about going to high school, but she said that I look too old."

"You do," she replies bluntly. "I believe that you and I look roughly the same age. At least that's what Carlisle told me when we discussed it. Emmett and Jasper barely manage to look fifteen and they were turned at nineteen. I was turned at twenty-six."

"Yeah," I sigh. "And thanks to the wolf gene I looked twenty-five when I was sixteen. I'm just not sure that I can handle college classes. And I know that I want to go for something technical, but I just don't know what. I mean, I like rebuilding cars, but today there are so many computers and stuff in the new cars that I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Well, I do know that if you don't want the college route that they also have a vocational school where you can get certified to work in different trades," she says. "I was thinking that it could be good for Emmett, since we will still be around here for a year or two after he graduates. Of course, it's purely selfish on my part, but it would be nice to have an electrician in the family."

"Has he been to college before?" I ask.

"Yes, but believe it or not, he has never taken a degree," she says. "He likes taking courses. Out of all the children he is the most easy-going and least ambitious. Edward says that he doesn't feel like he's ever intruding in his head because Emmett never has an unspoken thought."

"Yeah, I've never really thought too much about him or Jasper really," I admit. "They always seem to be more in the background."

"That's because their wives are so outspoken," she says. "I'm kind of surprised to hear you say that though, considering the amount of time that you have spent hanging around the family."

"I guess its lack of interest," I admit. "I mean. I'm obviously mostly interested in Renesmee. But if I want to spend to with her, I have to go through Edward and Bella. And then Rosalie and I have never hit it off. And it's kind of hard to ignore Alice."

"Well, as long as Renesmee is a child," she answers. "Then you will have to . . . How shall I say this? Negotiate terms with her parents."

"Does Carlisle have any theories about why, at seven, she still seems so young?" I ask.

"Naturally, he has thought of it," she says. "He thinks that the mostly likely explanation is that kids mentally and emotionally mature at different ages. If you go to Renesmee's school and look at the seventh grade girls, there are some who look very mature, while others are still little girls. Renesmee is somewhere in between those two.

"But they all tend to act the same way. They are caught between still being little girls, and also wanting to be teenagers. Carlisle has researched it and adolescence is a relatively new phenomenon in human development. It's a product of a culture where children stay in school longer, marry later, and don't have to go off to work so early to help support the family."

"I guess that I wasn't paying attention," I say. "I didn't notice that she really was younger. And the guys who imprinted ahead of me, except Quil, all married their girls straight out of high school."

"Jacob," she says kindly. "I would really like to point something out to you that I don't think that you've ever considered. We are immortal beings. We will exist for eternity. Now Carlisle has a better perspective on this than I do. But if you really want a good perspective, talk to Kate or Tanya.

"Eternity is a very long time. In a couple of hundred years you will realize this. Waiting a few more years for Renesmee to catch up to you and giving her the chance to have these experiences is really a very brief time of your lives. Once she really does reach full maturity, you two will be together for a very long time. There's no need to rush at this stage of the game."

"You talk about us being together like you think that it could really happen," I say.

"And your statement just indicated to me that you think that it might not happen," she says. "Whether or not you choose to believe this, we have always taken it for granted that you and Renesmee would be together someday. And this move was not about keeping you apart."

"I know," I say. "I finally figured it out. And I really have stopped blaming you guys for the predicament that I'm in now. By the way, I owe you an apology for the snarky things that I said when I first got here. I was tired and cranky and defensive. I mean. You've gone to a lot of trouble to make me comfortable. I mean, the cabin is the nicest place that I ever lived."

"That's okay, Jacob," she says. "I understand."

"Well, it's my fault that you should have to," I reply. "I mean Renesmee told me how you replaced all the appliances is the place because you thought that the old ones weren't good enough. Of course, I doubt that I will really appreciate them."

"Bella said that you would be happy with a mini-fridge and a hot plate," she admits. "But I just couldn't see it."

"I guess that I could," I reply. "But then again, I'm a guy."

"True," she says. "Well, I have some things that I need to get done. Why don't you go into town?"

"That's a good idea," I say. "And, Esme, I have something to tell you that's going to sound kind of cheesy, but I'm going to say it anyway."

"That's fine," she says. "You can just say it."

"Well, you know, seven years ago when all the stuff was going on with Bella and the pregnancy, you were pretty good to me and my pack," I say. "Now, you see, I don't remember my own Mom very well because I was pretty young when she died. But I was thinking then and, I guess, now that you must be like she was. You know, not the vampire thing, but all kind and caring and all that. So I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you, Jacob," she says quietly. "That's lovely. I'm honored that you would compare me favorably with your mother."

As I walked away, I realized that I felt much better about that situation. I mean, it really is kind of like Esme and Carlisle have adopted me. Esme is the Mom that I don't remember and Carlisle is the father that I wish that Billy could be. But, well, Billy has had his own crap to deal with in life. I shouldn't really judge him too harshly.

When I get back to the cabin, I have to choose between the bike and the pickup. I decide on the bike, because that was how I came into town. If anyone sees me and recognizes me, they might wonder where I got a brand new truck from. If I drive it in an a few days, no one is likely to ask. Besides, the guys at the diner noticed the bike.

When I get into Whitehorse, I give myself a kind of a tour. I find the hospital where Carlisle works and the high school. I try to figure out where Renesmee goes to school, but there are several elementary schools and I don't know the name.

I take a note of the store called the Trading Post. I'll go back later today to find a little something to give Esme as a thank you gift. Renesmee said something about it being her favorite store up here to get stuff for the house. I see the diner and decide to stop in for lunch after I check out the college.

It doesn't look like a big school, but then again, this isn't such a big place. There are a number of buildings. I walk around until I find one that has the admissions office in it. I walk up to the receptionist.

"Hi! I would like some information about signing up for classes," I say.

"Have you finished high school?" she asks. "If you haven't, you can take whatever you need to finish up your degree here."

"I, um, got a GED," I say. "Back in the states."

"What are you interested in studying?" she asks.

"Uh, vo-tech, I guess," I say.

She looks at me like she doesn't understand.

"Uh, trade school," I say. "You know, electrician, carpenter, that kind of thing."

"Of course," she says. "We have several certifications in that. But a big, strong guy like you should consider heavy machinery. There's good money to be made in that area."

"Yeah, I guess that I could think about that," I say.

"I'll tell you what," she says. "I'll give you all of the information about the programs that we offer. You can also do some online research if you have access to a computer. Then, you can come here and talk to one of our career counselors. They can help you plan a program for yourself. Are you thinking of full-time or part-time?"

"Part-time," I say. "I kind of need to work."

"Most of our students do," she says. "One of the things that we focus on here is helping students to find a career path that will help them get to a better life."

"Yeah, uh, sounds good," I answer, as she hands me a packet if stuff. "Thanks."

It's only after I walk away that I realize that she had been admiring me. In fact, I could see that almost all the women in the office had been checking me out. But then again, there are very few guys anywhere that are as big as I am. And I have been told that I am a pretty good-looking guy. It's no wonder that looking at me, she suggested heavy machinery.

I hop on the bike and go over to the diner. The same waitress, Mary, is there and she remembers me. It seems that my big tip paid off.

"Hey, American Indian!" she says. "What can I get you today?"

I'm not insulted by the term "Indian" because I have a feeling that she has lots of nicknames for lots of people. Remembering the last time I ordered, I begin with a coffee.

"Can I have a regular coffee, please, with cream and sugar," I say. "I'll look at the menu."

Before I order, I want to make sure that they have what I'm looking. It's there, so I'm ready to order by the time she hits me with the coffee.

"What can I get you" she asks.

"A hot hamburger with a side of fries and gravy," I reply.

"You know what that is?" she asks.

"I had it a couple of times on the way up," I say with a shrug. "I liked it."

"Pretty good," she says, tearing off the slip and throwing it into one of those circular things that goes around to the kitchen in the back. "Most Americans order it and want to know what the hell it is when they get it."

"Sounds right," I say. "And I bet they come in looking for cafe mocha grande latte or some kind of crap."

"Some of them do," she says. "And all I can offer them is regular or decaf. No Starbucks up here."

"You're not missing anything," I reply. "Dunkin Donuts makes a better cup and you don't have to speak Italian to order it."

"Yeah," she says, and then runs down to the next customer. I hear a voice behind me.

"Jacob?" says a familiar female voice.

I turn and see the tall girl from my last visit in here sitting with another older woman.

"Hi, Aurora!" I say. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone that I know in here."

"Do you want to join us?" she asks. "We just ordered too."

"Sure," I say, thinking that it would be nice to have a little conversation with someone not named Cullen.

"This is my Aunt Tabitha," says Aurora. "I'm surprised that you remembered my name."

"It's an unusual name," I say. "At least where I'm from, so is Tabitha."

"Well, before you start any jokes about witches," says Aunt Tabitha. "I will have you know that Tabitha is a name from the Bible. She was a woman who St. Peter raised from the dead."

"Well, I don't know a whole lot about the Bible," I reply. "I'm more of a heathen if you know what I mean."

"Did you find the Cullens?" asks Aurora.

"Yeah, the place was real easy to get to," I say. "I just came down to town to check out the college."

"Are you thinking of staying longer than just a visit?" asks Aurora.

"Well, you know how Esme is," I say. "She's so nice that she fixed up the cabin for me. And they told me that I could stay as long as I wanted. At the moment I don't have much to go back home to, so I figured, what the heck? This looks like it could be interesting."

"So you haven't settled down yet?" asks Aunt Tabitha.

"Not really," I reply. "I'm young. I have a lot of time to figure out what I want to do. I thought that it might be a good idea to pick up a trade, you know, carpenter or electrician, something useful. I've always been good with my hands. But I've never been much of a student."

"Sounds like some people I know," says Aunt Tabitha looking sharply at Aurora.

"Come on, Auntie," she says. "It's not that I didn't like school. It's just that I want to help people. I want to do something practical."

"You could go away to university and study to be a real nurse," she says. "And then come back and help people."

Mary comes over with our food.

"You still going on about university, Tabby?" she asks. "Let the girl be. Maybe she's like normal people and doesn't need a fancy degree to get a good job."

"No secrets in Whitehorse," mutters Tabitha as Mary walks away. "What she doesn't get out of you directly, she picks up in your conversations. And she has opinions about everything."

"I kind of like her," I say. "She's very real. She's not putting on some kind of act to impress people."

"That's true," comments Aurora. "Well right now I'm working on a practical nursing degree at the college. It's taking me a while because I can only go part-time. I work at the hospital part-time as an orderly."

"That's cool," I say. "After I get the college thing squared away, I'm going to be looking for a job."

"You shouldn't have too much trouble finding one," says Aunt Tabitha. "Considering how big and strong you are. But you're going to need working papers."

"Carlisle is going to help me with that," I say, knowing that since Jasper is only a sophomore in high school, he shouldn't know about it.

"Dr. Cullen is a good man," says Aurora. "Everyone at the hospital likes him a lot. And he is very good-looking."

"They are all good-looking," comments Aunt Tabitha. "But Esme seems like the type to make sure that her kids are clean and well-groomed. I still can't get over that, seven adopted and foster kids. Those kids sure are lucky."

"Esme and Carlisle can't have children of their own," I say, knowing that is a part of the cover story. "And they're both so great that they can't turn anyone away who needs them, even a big guy like me."

"What about your family?" Aurora asks.

"I don't have much family," I say truthfully. "My Mom died in a car wreck when I was pretty young. I don't really remember her. My Dad still lives on the Rez. I have two older sisters who are out of the house and married. Rachel and her husband still live on the Rez, so they look in on Dad. He's the tribal chief, or he would be if we still had them. The last chief was my grandfather."

"But then shouldn't you be the next in line to be chief?" asks Aurora.

"Well," I say, hedging a little. "I'm kind of going through a rebellious stage right now. Dad's pretty unhappy with me about the fact that I'm not sure if I want to be a chief or not. I was talking to the Cullens about it and they offered to let me stay for longer than just a visit while I figured it out."

"You're lucky to have such good friends," replies Tabitha.

But I can hear the disapproval in her voice. I had actually forgotten while we were talking that they were Native American too and they would appreciate what those kinds of things, like tribal chief, meant. And Aunt Tabitha looks like she's Billy's generation. I have to wonder how Aurora ended up living with her aunt, instead of at home, wherever that was.

"Well," I say to change the subject. "I was going to stop by that store if yours to pick up something for Esme. You know, a little gift as a thank you for letting me stay."

"I'm sure that she will anything that you pick out," says Aurora.

"Speaking of the store," says her aunt. "We need to get back there so that Lily can go to lunch. I'll go see Mary about the check. She's up there yacking away with Joe again. Lunch is on me, Jacob, no arguments."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I say in a low voice as she leaves.

"Aunt Tabitha doesn't mean to be judgmental," says Aurora in a low voice. "She's had a pretty hard life, so has my grandmother, Lily."

"Oh, I'm not bothered," I shrug. "You should hear my Dad. He's pretty pissed at me right now."

"Aurora," says Aunt Tabitha. "We need to get going. It was nice meeting you, Jacob. We'll see you later."

I walk back to the table to drop another dollar there as a tip for Mary. She's the type of person whose good side I would like to be on. And knowing that she's the town gossip means that not only will she be a good source of information, she will also be talking about me to other people.

"That Aurora is a real pretty girl," comments Joe from the counter.

"Yes, she is," I agree, thinking that if I could see other girls more clearly than Renesmee, I might consider her beautiful."

"Tough life, she's had," says Mary. "What with losing her mother so young to the scarlet fever, and then her Dad not being able to really care for her up in that village. That's why she wants to be a nurse, you know."

"Why?" I asked, feeling like I had just missed something.

"Well," says Joe. "Her Mom died because they didn't have basic medical services. Most of the villages don't. They have traveling doctors and nurses, but usually nobody permanent. Aurora's a good girl. She wants to get that degree and go back and help. Tabitha and Lily are real proud of her."

"How did she end up living here?" I ask.

"After her Mom died, her Dad couldn't really manage her," says Joe. "He's away a lot of the time hunting and fishing. Besides, if she's here in Whitehorse, she can get a better education. So Lily took her in. And she's a real good girl. In addition to her schooling and hospital job, she helps out at the store. And she's never anything but cheerful."

"Well, if you ask me," says Mary. "She spends so much time doing for others that she doesn't take any time for herself. She needs to spend more time with her friends."

Now that the conversation had taken a personal turn, I decide that it's time to get out while the getting is good. The next thing I know, they will be trying to play matchmaker. And there's no way that I can explain why I don't see any girl but Renesmee.

I remember asking Quil years ago if he ever thought of dating while Claire was still a baby. But he said that he couldn't imagine it. He just didn't even _see _the other girls. Then I imprinted on Renesmee and understood what he meant. That's still the way that I feel about it.

Looking up at the clock, I can see that it's a couple of more hours until school gets out. I decide to walk around town a little and maybe pick up a newspaper to look over the classified ads. And I have all of this college stuff to look at.

But then I figure that maybe I can do that later. Maybe Renesmee can bring her homework down to the cabin and we can sit and do it together, you know, she can do her homework, while I check out my options. And it's good to know that she can come and visit me there without any problems with the others. I have only been here a couple of days and already I'm starting to feel at home. I just wish that I could forget about La Push.

_Author's Note: Thanks for the recent reviews. I'm not really too obsessive about reviews because I tend to look more closely at favs, follows, and traffic stats. But it is nice to hear from readers every once in a while._


	32. Madame

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's note: Sorry about the length between updates, but between writing interim reports and my daughter's "Thoroughly Modern Millie" show opening tonight, we have been busy. Tennis season starts next week ("uh-huh, they shoveled the tennis courts today). Daily updates will be impossible for the next few weeks, but I will do my best._

**Chapter 32: Madame**

It's been another great day in school and now I'm waiting for Esme to pick me up from school. Once again, the cafeteria is full of children waiting for their parents. Only today they are much quieter. Mme. Beauclair doesn't really need to use the microphone to calm everyone down, but she does anyway. And then the aide starts reading the names.

When she calls out Renesmee Cullen, I jump up. Celine gives me a hug.

"You will tell me all about your meeting with Madame today, yes?" she says.

"I will," I say. "I'll remember everything."

"This is the first time that I have ever wished for a cell phone," she says quickly. "Au revoir!"

Before I can answer, the aide comes over.

"Come Renesmee. Your Mama is waiting and there is a line behind her," she says.

I walk quickly because I am not allowed to run. Mlle. Charles is standing by the van again talking to Esme.

"Au revoir," she says cheerfully, as I climb in.

"Did you have another good day?" asks Momma.

"It was splendid!" I reply. "For our science class, we went outside to identify the plants that are growing around the school. I learned so many new names! I can tell each of them to you."

"I think that's something that I actually don't know," says Daddy. "Do any of you know the flora native to the Yukon?"

"I don't know and I don't care," snaps Auntie Rose.

"Oh, stop being in such a pissy mood," says Emmett. "Just because Alice roped you into looking in dress shops with Pauline, you don't have to take it out on Renesmee."

"Rose, I'm sorry," says Alice. "But Bella really wanted to go with Renesmee to the dance studio to meet Madame."

"Yes," answers Auntie Rose. "And _you_ didn't want to get stuck all alone with Pauline."

"Come on, Rose," says Emmett. "Do you really want to look at camping equipment with me and Jasper?"

"We won't be long anyway," says Esme. "I called and Madame said that she just needed to see Renesmee dance a little so that she could put her in the right class. Then I have to fill out the paperwork and we will be done."

"You are going to call me on the cell phone the minute that you're finished," replies Auntie Rose.

"I promise," says Daddy. "I don't want to see Pauline any more than you do."

When we arrive in front of the dance studio there is a very tall, beautiful First Nations girl waiting for us. This must be Pauline. After we pile out of the van, she walks over to us.

"Hi!" she says. "I'm Pauline, and you must be Mrs. Cullen and Renesmee."

"Yes, we are," says Emse graciously. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"And mine to meet you," replies Pauline. "Are you ready to go, Alice?"

"Sure, come on, Rose!" she says cheerfully.

Auntie Rose grimaces and Daddy looks like he is trying not to laugh.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Later," he says. "When we get home. Right now, we need to get you registered."

I hold Esme's hand as if I am her daughter. Daddy walks behind us with Momma. I know that he has his hands in his pockets so that he is not tempted to hold her hand. He is looking very protective of all of us.

When we enter the studio, a woman at the desk looks up and says, "Are you Esme Cullen?"

"Yes," says Esme. "And this is my daughter Renesmee. We have an appointment to see Madame regarding dance classes."

"Yes, of course," she says with a smile. "Are these your other children?"

"Two of them," she replies. "Edward is Renesmee's older brother. Bella is my foster daughter. She has only been with us about two years. She is still very shy."

"You may go right in," she says. "Madame is in the main studio."

As we walk in, we are looking around. Momma and Daddy look at each other. Momma has a very funny look on her face.

I hear him whisper, "It is okay, love."

"It's a human memory that has faded," she replies under her breath. "But I guess that all dance studios look the same."

"Good afternoon," says a very slender, muscular older woman. "Welcome to the studio. I have heard much about you from little Celine. She speaks very highly of you, Renesmee."

I automatically back up a little. I have never seen a woman like this before. She has short curly, white hair and the bluest eyes that I have ever seen. She has an accent that sounds a little bit like Tanya and Kate's accent, but not quite. Since her name is Madame Olga, I think that it must be Russian. She looks so fragile, you would think that she could break, but as soon as she moves you can see that she is very strong.

"This is Renesmee," says Esme. "And two of my other children came to watch. They are Bella and Edward."

"How do you do?" says Daddy, but Momma just smiles.

Madame is looking at her intensely.

"How old are you, Bella?" she asks.

"Fourteen," says Momma very softly.

"Have you ever taken dance lessons before?" she asks.

"Only when I was a little . . . " Momma's voice drops off because that was a big oops.

"I was never very good," she says looking between Daddy and Esme, as if to say, "Help!"

But it's too late.

"I find that hard to believe that," says Madame. "You must have had a terrible teacher. You are so graceful that when you walk, you seem to float."

"Well, Bella is very shy," says Esme quickly. "She doesn't like attention. She is just here to give moral support for her little sister."

Momma nods.

"But if she dances, she will gain confidence in herself," replies Madame. "You could be such a beautiful dancer!"

But Momma just shakes her head and says softly, "Renesmee is the dancer."

She gives me a little push forward.

"Oh, yes of course, such a beautiful child," says Madame. "Let me see your feet, darling."

I'm glad that Celine warned me, because I have to slip off my shoes and socks. Daddy is watching with interest and I can tell that he is reading her thoughts because he smiles proudly.

"Very nice," she says warmly. "Now stand at the barre and imitate me the best that you can."

I already know my dance positions because I have researched them. I even know some of the steps and leaps. But Madame is easy to follow. She moves slowly and I imitate her moves exactly. When I look in the mirror, my family is looking on very proudly.

"You are exquisite," says Madame. "You are still too young for pointe. Your feet have not yet fully developed, but next year, quite definitely. Your muscles are strong. Yes, I can see you in the pre-pointe class with Celine. There are several other classes that you will also have to take.

"If you wish to dance your best, you must be here on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons for two hours as well as Saturday morning for four hours. This is a very rigorous program. And you will look lovely in _The Nutcracker."_

I look at Esme and give her a hug. When I see Momma looking over at us, I walk over and give her a hug too.

"See, Sissy," I say. "It was easy."

But Madame misunderstands my words.

"Yes, Bella," she says. "Even your little sister says that it is easy. Don't you want to try?"

Momma shakes her head and hides behind her hair.

"Poor child," says Madame. "You are sad. You are very lucky to have such a good foster mother as Esme."

"Yes," whispers Momma.

"Come, Esme," says Madame. "We will fill out the paperwork for Renesmee. Her classes start on Monday."

They go ahead and Daddy looks at both of us sharply.

"We need to have some review for you two about what you can and can't say," he says. "But that was very good acting. You really looked scared."

"I was scared," she says. "I was afraid that Madame would insist on examining my feet and see how hard and cold they are."

"That wouldn't have happened," he soothes her. "Now come on. Let's go out."

Outside in the office, Madame is speaking very quickly as Esme fills out the forms at human speed. Since there is no dance store in town, we must purchase what we need from her.

"She will wear the pale blue leotard," she says. "With the pink tights and ballet shoes. All the girls wear the pink tights, but the color of the leotard tells what year you are in. Some of the girls prefer to wear the little wrap skirts, but we need to see your legs, so no substitutes. If you are cold, we sell the wrap around sweaters. You cannot wear a regular sweater because it would not be tight enough, so that we can see your arms.

"The hair must be worn up, off the neck in a bun. I suggest a hair net or the little crocheted bun caps that we have. Your hair is so thick and curly that you will have to secure it well. I know that we are very specific about these things, but the only way that we can make sure that you have proper form is if we can see your neck and shoulders."

"We understand," says Esme. "We will get her whatever she needs."

Daddy takes out his cell phone to call Alice and Jasper. I walk over to a bulletin board where there are photographs of girls in costumes and girls in classes. I notice that the girls are dressed identically in all of the classes. They look like little soldiers, all lined up. Madame notices me looking at the pictures.

"If you want to be a great dancer," says Madame. "You must be very disciplined. There is no fooling around during class time. You can giggle all that you want when you are not here. Dancing is fun, but it is also very hard work."

I feel excited as I listen to her. I never had any idea about what went into making a great dancer. I look at the pictures of the girls again, wearing their beautiful pooffy costumes and I am imagining my picture up there. Madame seems pleased by my interest.

"Yes, Renesmee," she says. "If you work hard then you could be a dancer like these girls one day. It is a pity that your big sister won't try. Bella, I know that you would be wonderful."

But Momma refuses to look her in the eye.

"Come now, children," says Esme. "Let's go. We need to meet your brothers and sisters."

"Such a lovely family," says Madame to Esme. "These children are so lucky to have such a wonderful mother."

Esme smiles sweetly, but is practically pushing us out the door before Madame can say anything else about Momma.

"Goodbye, Madame," I say.

Once we are outside and away from the studio, Daddy groans.

"I'm not sure that could have been too much worse," he says. "Bella! Dance lessons?"

"She caught me off guard," says Momma. "I'm not used to being complimented on my poise and grace. Remember? The last time that I was out among so many humans, I was the world's biggest klutz."

"Luckily, you have the shy and scared routine down pat," says Daddy. "You were totally believable. Madame is very disappointed. And Renesmee, you need to watch your intonation. When you told Momma that the dancing was easy, you made it sound like you were saying that it was so easy that even she could do it."

"I realized that afterwards," I admit. "It was so exciting that I almost thought that I was human myself."

Suddenly, we hear a voice from behind us.

"Hi, guys!" says Alice. "How did the dancing go?"

"It was wonderful, Alice," I say. "Madame liked my feet and she said that I could be in the same class with Celine. I can't wait!"

"Let's get going," grumbles Auntie Rose. "I have a lot of homework to do."

Daddy starts coughing because he is trying not to laugh.

"Well, that was fun!" says Pauline. "Alice, you have such an amazing eye for design! We must do it again."

"We need to leave now, girls," says Esme hurriedly. "We need to pick up Jasper and Emmett so that you can _all _get to your homework."

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Cullen," replies Pauline. "I'm glad that you had fun Renesmee."

"What a suck up!" says Alice once we are driving towards the sporting goods store.

"Next time, just say no!" says Auntie Rose.

"It could have been worse, Rosalie," says Daddy. "I bet Madame would have wanted _you _in her dance classes if she had seen you."

"What?" she shouts in horror, but doesn't have time to say anything else.

The van stops and we pick up Emmett and Jasper.

"I'm starting to feel like a bus driver," says Esme.

"You wouldn't if you let us drive," answers Emmett.

"You know that I don't mind!" says Esme. "It's been ten years since you were so young and I got to play chauffeur."

"How was dress shopping?" asks Emmett playfully.

Auntie Rose doesn't answer. She just growls. To change the subject, Daddy starts to talk about the meeting with Madame.

"We had an interesting meeting with Madame Olga," he says. "Although in the beginning she was more interested in Bella than Renesmee."

"Really?" says Alice. "Why is that?"

"Because she saw a beautiful, graceful fourteen-year old girl and wanted to teach her ballet," he replies. "And then Bella slipped and said that she had lessons when she was a kid."

"Did you tell her that they used to hide you in the back?" asks Emmett.

"I didn't get a chance to," answers Momma. "She just said that the teacher must have been terrible because of all my potential. I was ready to crawl out the window."

"You wanted to go," says Auntie Rose. "And I had to . . . "

"Oh, give it a rest, Rosalie!" says Alice. "You've made your point and now I'm starting to get pissed at you. What else did Madame say to Bella?"

"Esme tried to explain that Bella was shy," says Daddy. "But Madame came back with the whole dancing makes you more confident argument. She really wanted Bella in her school. She was thinking of all the parts that she could dance with a little bit of training. You know, the Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia . . . "

"Stop! And all she would have to do is touch my feet to know that I wasn't human," says Momma. "Or at the very least not normal."

"You're not normal," answers Emmett with a shrug. "Human or vampire, you're different. But what is all this with the feet."

"Apparently," says Daddy. "One way of evaluating a dancer's potential is by the strength and shape of the foot. I guess that I was most interested when she told us that Renesmee's feet are still growing."

"So she isn't full grown?" asks Auntie Rose.

"No, but I really didn't need Madame to tell me that," answers Daddy. "Height can usually be estimated by averaging the heights of the parents. That would make it about five-seven for Renesmee. She's not even close yet. But then again, without knowledge of the full gene pool it's hard to say."

"So now that we knew how Bella did," says Alice. "How did Renesmee do?"

"Madame was thrilled when Renesmee started to follow her movements because she imitated her perfectly," he says. "But I also found out that she did a little research and had been practicing on her own. Madame is also looking forward to using her for different parts. In fact . . . "

He stops.

"In fact, what?" asks Momma.

"Never mind," he says. "I don't want to give anything away. Especially since Madame is only considering it."

"Daddy," I ask. "Why were you laughing when we met Pauline?"

"Oh, it was just that Pauline was running through various options for getting to know me better," he says. "She immediately put two and two together that we were blood-related because we look so much alike.

"And she was very happy that Esme was so nice to her. But she also picked up a vibe between Bella and me. We need to steer clear of her if we can or she will be suspicious. She's already jealous of Bella."

"I would be only too happy to make sure that Pauline never comes near either of you again," says Auntie Rose.

"She's my lab partner," says Daddy.

"I don't know how you are going to stand it," she says. "I have never heard so much inane chatter in my life."

"She's trying to fit it," explains Daddy. "She is quite intelligent really. But she also realizes that the other kids find her intimidating. She tries to act dumber than she is so that she is more approachable. Her biggest problem is that she tries too hard. If she would just back off then she would have more friends."

"Science pretty boring, huh, Edward?" says Emmett.

"Very," he replies. "I have way too much time to sit and analyze the thoughts of the students around me."

"Were you analyzing Marcie when she was looking Alice over as a potential cheerleader?" asks Emmett.

"Oh, she was much less interested in Alice than she was in you," replies Daddy. "In fact, she is considering taking up hiking. She was very disappointed to hear that you weren't going out for the football team. Word about that got around pretty quickly. The varsity coach and most of his players are disappointed too. The only one not disappointed is the senior captain who is an offensive lineman."

"Cool," says Emmett. "I like disappointing people like that."

"Anyway it will be Jasper's turn next to do the disappointing," says Daddy.

"Basketball?" asks Jasper.

"Okay, kids," says Esme, before anyone can say anything else. "We're back home."

"Wow!" says Alice. "That car ride went fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun!" says Emmett.

I have to agree with that.

"Momma," I say. "Can I go see Jacob?"

"After you finish your homework," she says. "I know that you want to tell him all about your day, but schoolwork comes first."

"And I want to hear about his day," I add. "Do you know what he did, Esme?"

"I know that he was going to look around town and check out the college," she says. "Oh, and Jasper, he wants to speak with you about getting the right paperwork in place."

"That may be a little tricky because he entered the country with a real passport as a tourist," he says. "But I've dealt with tougher. Does he just want to go to school?"

"No, he wants to work too," she says. "He doesn't want to be completely dependent on Carlisle.

"Why not?" asks Emmett. "Everyone else is."

"Jacob has his pride," says Esme. "But along those same lines, both Carlisle and I have been trying to make him feel welcome and a part of the family. It would be nice if you kids did too."

Auntie Rose rolls her eyes, but Emmett laughs.

"Awesome!" he says. "It's open season on wolves."

"Emmett!" says Esme.

"Hey! If he's going to be a member of the family, why does he get special treatment," says Momma. "We all have to put up with Emmett. So should he."

I laugh and yank my backpack off of the floor and swing it up over my shoulder.

"Renesmee," says Daddy. "You have to be careful not to swing that huge thing around too easily. If you look at the other kids lugging those things around, it's kind of a strain."

"Oh," I say. "So I can't look too strong?"

"Definitely not," he says.

"But I'm home now, so I can carry it anyway I want," I answer smartly and run into the house.

I want to get my homework done so that Jacob and I can share our days. At least it is easier tonight because I don't have to write an essay pretending to be human. Now that we are home, the others go back to their adult selves. But I kind of like the fact that I get to stay my own kid self.

_Author's note: The section about the ballet school is written from my own personal experience as a dance Mom for many years. As for Madame's interest in Bella, any dance studio with as limited a potential client base as one would find in a city the size of Whitehorse would be eager to snatch up any potential dancer at any age._


	33. Fitting In

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 33: Fitting In**

Well, living in Whitehorse isn't such a bad thing after all. My biggest problem is that I miss La Push and my pack. I haven't phased once since I've been here. For one thing, I've never been angry enough or felt threatened enough to phase. And for another, I can't stand the thought of having all the guys (and one girl), who are still in La Push, back inside my head.

The time that I went wolf after I found out about Bella's wedding, I discovered that even no matter far north in Canada I traveled, I could still hear them. And it really sucked. I really couldn't win. If I tried to drown out their thoughts, I would occasionally get a wolf or two asking me questions.

But if I didn't, I had to listen to all the crap that they were thinking. And of course the worst thoughts were from the imprinted wolves that would daydream about their girls when they couldn't be with them. The only one the least bit tolerable was Quil, although after awhile his obsession with what games Claire wanted to play or whether or not she was coming down with the sniffles got on my nerves.

Still, by not phasing, I have no idea of what is happening in La Push. Dear old Dad is maintaining radio silence on the phone. And after he found out from Paul that Quil sent me my stuff, he used his authority as tribal chief to tell them that they were allowed no more communication with me unless he gave permission. Sam, quite naturally, backed him up and gave the Alpha order.

Of course, I could probably find out everything that I want to know just by phasing for an hour or so. I mean, it's not like Billy or even Sam can control what they are thinking when they are wolves. But for now it's just easier to pretend that La Push doesn't exist, because if it didn't exist, then my life would actually be quite good.

The day that I went to the college, I went home and did some research online about the different degree programs. It didn't take me long to realize that the thing for me was a trade program. I just wasn't cut out to be a college man. But some of the training programs looked real good. And I decided that the heavy equipment certifications could be the ticket into some good money.

When I was done with that, I went to the website for the local newspaper. There were a number of job listings for a guy like me who was big, strong and mechanically inclined. The ones that interested me the most were those that stated they would accept someone with no prior experience, but a strong work ethic and desire to learn.

So I decided that would be me. Of course I had never held a job in my life. But I never needed to before. And I really did like learning. I just didn't like the learning in books. I was so busy, that I didn't notice the time until someone knocked on the door around four o'clock.

"Come in!" I called, thinking that it was either Bella or Renesmee.

The door opened, but a voice called, "I would rather not if it's okay with you."

It was Jasper.

"Hi, Jasper!" I said as I went to the door. "Don't want to suffocate on the werewolf stench?"

"No more than you want vampire stink in your place," he answered with a grin. "Esme told me that you needed a student visa and working papers. It's no problem, but I will need to see your passport and driver's license."

"Sure," I said. "I'll go get them."

When I came out of my bedroom, I see him poking his head in the doorway to look around.

"I recognize Esme's handiwork," he said. "With a little help from Renesmee. She asked me to tell you that she would be down to visit as soon as she finished her homework. Bella is being pretty strict on the whole homework comes first thing."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I said. "After my Mom died there wasn't anyone around to tell me that I needed to do my schoolwork. My sisters were too busy figuring out how to stay away from the house and my Dad didn't care. That's probably why my grades always sucked in school."

"My Dad didn't care either, or my Mom," he grinned. "I wasn't too interested in school myself back when I was human. In fact, I didn't really finish high school until I moved in with Carlisle. Neither did anyone else except Rosalie. Well, Edward had a good excuse being that he was only seventeen. But the rest of us, well, we kind of fell through the cracks."

"None of you went to college?" I asked surprised. "While you were human that is."

"No, why would we?" he asked. "In the times and places where we grew up, people didn't go to college. Although if Edward and his parents hadn't gotten sick, I'm sure that he would have. Both of his parents were college educated and back then, that was usually what got you there. I guess it's still true today in some places."

"I don't know," I shrugged, thinking that it sounded like he could be talking about La Push. "I guess because I know that you all have been to high school a lot and college sometimes, I always assumed that you had been educated when you were still . . . uh, human."

"I was nineteen when I was turned," he said. "And joined the army when I was seventeen. Rosalie was eighteen, but she had only completed high school. She wasn't interested in anything other than marriage.

"Emmett was out trying to support his family down there in the Smokies in Tennessee before he could graduate. He and Alice were turned at twenty. And Alice's father stuck her away in a mental asylum before she could finish school. I thought that you knew all these stories."

"I knew the stories," I explained. "But I never made the connection with the whole education thing."

"Well, it was Carlisle who has always insisted on the education thing," he said. "I'm surprised that he didn't get on your back sooner to get that GED."

"I thought that was all Edward," I replied.

"Who do you think taught Edward to appreciate an education?" he asked me. "I think that we all know that the whole college thing really isn't for you. But if you can get a trade and a few of these certifications under your belt, it might get you further than, say, a liberal arts degree would these days."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Well, there's a lot of things that the big companies can outsource to Southeast Asia," he answers. "But putting plumbing or wiring electricity into a building, fixing cars or trucks, operating and repairing heavy machinery are the kinds of things that can't be outsourced."

"Neither can flipping burgers, landscaping, or cleaning office buildings," I replied. "I could make money doing those things."

"But do you really want to?" he asked. "They'll get you a paycheck, but not a career. I kind of envy you that way."

"What way?"

"You're old enough to actually have a career," he said. "In fact, if you live as long as I have, you can keep changing careers when you get bored. And if technology continues to upgrade at the present pace, you will constantly be learning how to do new things."

"But you have to keep going to high school," I said. "Over and over again."

"Or college," he replies. "I mean, I could get a job, but only the kind of a job that a kid would get, not a real job. You know what I mean, the kind of job that evolves into a career. It takes more years to build a career than I can stay in one place looking weird because I never age."

"I never thought of it that way," I replied. "When I first got here, I was jealous of you guys all going to school together."

"Trust me," he grimaced. "It's not all that it's cracked up to be. We may be together, but we can get on each other's nerves. Just ask Bella about today, or better yet Rosalie. It's hard to play a kid when you've been alive for one hundred years or so. And none of us have been playing high school students for seven years. We're out of practice, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I can see how that would happen," I admitted. "But how do you take it? You know, after being an army officer and being in charge and all that."

"Yes," he said. "But then for almost a century I lived in a war zone where my life was all about creating newborns and destroying them after a year. I felt lucky to escape. But then after I found Alice and she led me to the Cullens, I realized that my life could be more than that. Instead of a constant circle of death, my life became a constant cycle of youth.

"The only other kind of life that I could have other than the one I do, is the life of a nomad. And even that gets dull after a while. And it can be lonely if you don't find a mate. Alice is my mate, and I will do anything to make her happy. This makes her very happy. And that's all that matters to me."

"It sounds like you've imprinted on her," I observed.

"Maybe," he replied doubtfully. "But it's more like we imprinted on each other. We both live for each other. Mating between vampires is a two way street. They both have to feel it for it to solidify, you might say. And we can't live without each other."

"I never thought of it that way," I said.

"Well, Emmett and I are going hunting in a little while," he said. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No thanks," I answered. "I really prefer to eat human if I can."

"I guess," he replied doubtfully. "It's funny, but after you're turned, the sight and smell of human food is pretty awful. Even the vegetarian diet is better."

"But I guess that my blood doesn't appeal to any of you," I commented.

"No way," he laughed. "The senses of taste and smell are too closely related. Don't worry. You're safe around us. None of us, no matter how thirsty, will ever crave your blood."

And with that final remark, he left. It occurred to me after that he had been very friendly. Like Bella and Edward, he really didn't care that I was here. Like the rest of them, he had only wanted to be with his family and had resented the fact that I was the one keeping them apart. Now that they were back together again, it was forgive and forget, except for Rosalie. But Rosalie and I were never going to be BFFs.

Even I could see his point. And then when Renesmee came down to visit that evening, I could see how very happy she was. It was hard to feel bad about that. Especially when she made it clear to me that she wouldn't be nearly as happy if I wasn't around. The pull of the imprint was just as strong as ever. How could I ever have thought that she would be happy away from her family and this life, and live apart from them with me?

It really bothered me that she wasn't welcome at La Push. But if she had been, would she have been happy there? It wasn't like Jasper being a high school student forever because it made Alice happy. He had lived other lives as a vampire and he knew that they weren't for him. And when Renesmee rushed in, all excited to tell me about her day and hear about mine, I knew that she wouldn't see living on the Rez as a better option than her present life.

She was so excited about school and all of her little friends there. And even though she had been prepared to be bored, she wasn't. She discovered that learning with other kids was a whole lot more fun than being taught by her parents or reading about stuff on her own. And then there was the ballet thing.

At first all she could talk about was how the ballet teacher wanted Bella in her classes. Of course Renesmee had never known what a klutzy human Bella, who couldn't walk across a flat, smooth surface without tripping over her own feet, had been. She was so graceful now that I could easily see her as a dancer. But she had been scared by the fact that Madame would have wanted to touch her feet.

Not that I blamed her. After all, I knew how cold and inhuman vampire skin felt. And of course, I couldn't tell that to Renesmee. She had been around vampires since birth. To _her, _it was the humans like Charlie and Sue that felt different. She laughed when she told me about how good Bella was acting shy, letting all that long hair fall over her face. But as a human, Bella had been pretty shy too. I hated to admit it, but Bella was a hell of a lot better at being a vampire, than being a human.

After she was finally done going on about _that, _she finally got to the part that _I _wanted to hear.

"So finally, Momma said that I was the dancer and Madame remembered that I was the reason that we had come," she said giggling.

"You weren't jealous because Madame was so interested in Bella?" I asked.

"No," she replied. "I never thought of it. It was too funny to watch Momma trying to discourage Madame without being rude. And I was ready for the feet thing. My friend Celine had told me all about it. And Madame liked my feet very much. She said that they were not fully developed yet."

"Really?" I said in surprise.

"Daddy thinks that perhaps Nahuel and his sisters did not keep track of the time properly," she explained. "Or it could be because different children mature at different points in time. He told us that the sample size of vampire-hybrids was statistically too small to make an accurate prognosis."

"Huh?" I asked. "You lost me when you started talking about statistics."

"Oh," she said. "It only means that you need more than four people to make a good prediction. But I don't care. I have plenty of time to grow up."

"So what did Madame say about you?" I asked.

"She said that I was going to be a beautiful dancer," she replied. "I had to imitate her movements at the barre and then copy her steps. But I had researched all of those things and knew what to do. She moved very slowly because she thought that I knew nothing. It was easy. And Daddy said that she was thinking about all of the parts that I could dance, and Momma too!"

"I would like to see that," I said under my breath. "So how many classes do you have to take?"

"I have to dance ten hours a week," she replied. "Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two hours after school and four hours on Saturday morning."

"Wow! That's a lot of dancing!" I said, trying to hide my disappointment at the amount of time it was.

"Yes," she answered, thankfully missing my tone. "We have it all figured out. Esme will drop me off on the way home from school and then Carlisle will pick me up and drive me home when his shift at the hospital is over. We are hoping that if he has to work late then I can stay with Celine in town until he is done."

"Maybe I could help with that sometimes," I suggested.

"But you don't know about your school and work schedules yet," she objected.

"How do you know about that?" I asked.

"Jasper was thinking about it when he came into the house earlier and Daddy heard him," she said.

"Great!" I groaned. "There are no secrets with Edward around."

"Try living with it," she said. "How would you like to guard your thoughts all the time? Oh well, I guess that we are just used to it. And Daddy can't turn it off anyway. Sometimes he wishes that he could."

"So what else did you do in school today?" I asked to get off the sensitive subject of Edward's mind reading.

"In science class we went outside and Mlle. Charles explained all of the plant life around the school," she replied. "You know, the trees and flowers and grasses. I wanted to teach them at home because they didn't know but they all have their own things to do."

"Well," I said, gladly taking the bait. "I would be happy to go for a walk with you to learn all about the plant life. I know all about the plants in the woods around La Push, but nothing about them up here."

"You would?" she asked.

"Of course I would!" I said. "Let's go!"

So for a couple of hours we wandered around the property and she identified everything for me. Luckily, even though she had learned it in French, she could tell me in English. She said that all of the plants had Latin names anyway. I was amazed by how much she had learned in just the one class in school, and said so. But she just shrugged.

"It's my vampire brain," she explained. "Carlisle doesn't know why, but vampires can absorb information more quickly and recall it more easily than humans. You see all humans store memories of what they see and experience, but they can't always retrieve them and use them very quickly or at all. The vampire brain works much faster than the human brain and can think of many things at once."

"Do you mean multi-tasking?" I asked. "Humans can do that."

"Hah!" she scoffed. "They wish. When humans _think_ that they are multitasking, they are actually just jumping from task to task quickly. They cannot really focus on more than one thing at a time. And the brain studies show that they work more efficiently when they concentrate on one thing for an extended period of time. But vampire brains work differently."

"Especially your father's brain," I grumbled, thinking about the mind reading.

"And Momma's and Alice's and my brain," she said. "And there is no explanation for what we do. And scientists would never think of studying vampire brains because they don't believe that they exist."

"How do you know all of this stuff?" I asked.

"Daddy and Carlisle once had a conversation about it," she replied. "Momma had said something about multi-tasking and they decided to research it."

"I'm just glad that they weren't trying to analyze my brain," I said.

Renesmee was silent.

"They were?" I asked, trying not to be annoyed.

She nods.

"That's just the way they are, Jacob," she said. "Carlisle and Daddy always talk about topics like that. They are just very curious. And they are still fascinated by the single pack mind. It's like a vampire mind. You can't explain it with the usual rules.

"It is one the mysteries that they are trying to solve, not in a bad way. They are just interested the same way they are with Alice's visions or Momma's shield. And if you weren't a member of the family, then they probably wouldn't be interested at all."

"A member of the family?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, yes," she said. "That was what Esme said in the van coming home from school today. Emmett is quite excited."

"Why?" I asked nervously.

"Emmett enjoys teasing the rest of us very much," she answered. "So Momma said that if we have to put up with it, then so should you."

"Yeah," I said. "What an honor."

If she noticed my sarcasm, which I'm sure that she did, she didn't mention it. Instead she just skipped happily along at my side, stopping here and there to explain something about a plant to me. She certainly had more of a vampire brain than a human brain. I doubted that any of her classmates could do as well.

As the dusk began to fall, I walked her up to the big house. The minute that she saw Carlisle and Edward on the porch, she ran over and jumped up into Edward's arms. He easily lifted her up as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. I realized again that she was still a little girl, Daddy's little girl. But I couldn't feel jealous. I was just happy that he loved her so much.

"I have had a simply splendid day!" she cried.

"Well, now you have to take a splendid bath and go to bed," he said fondly. "Say goodnight to Jacob."

"Goodnight, Jacob!" she called to me. "See you tomorrow!"

When they were gone inside, Carlisle spoke to me before I left.

"Jacob," he said. "Edward, via Jasper, told me about your plans. Now I know that I'm not your father and I certainly would never want to take his place, but if you ever need an older mind for advice, I would be happy to listen."

"Thanks, Carlisle," I said. "I'll keep that in mind."

He smiled and waved me off.

That was a week ago, and now I'm sitting here with my textbook for a reading class that I have to take. The minute that I looked at my textbook for one of my courses, I knew that I could never read the damn thing and understand it. I was at the diner drowning my sorrows in a cup of coffee when Aurora found me.

Naturally she asked what was wrong and when I explained, she told me about the reading classes. Apparently the trade school gets a lot of kids like me who are good with their hands, but their reading skills aren't so great. They want to keep them in school so they have these reading classes.

And the best thing about Aurora was that she never mentioned it to the family, even though she ran into Alice and Esme in a store later in town and the next day, she saw Carlisle at work. In Forks or at La Push, that would have been the big news of the day, Jacob can't read the textbooks for his trade classes. I suppose that the rumor mill works pretty well in Whitehorse too, but Aurora's not the kind of person who would spread that kind of stuff all over town.

And now I have a job making good money working at an auto repair shop. The owner was psyched when he saw my mad skills and how strong I was. I'm making more money than I ever dreamed possible. But when I talked to old Joe at the diner, he said that the pay is usually better in Whitehorse because most people don't want to live this far north. And he told me that my new boss really likes me. That's the kind of rumor that I don't mind going around town.

I hear a knock at the door and get up to open it. I see Renesmee standing there with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Momma said that I may do my homework here," she says. "If I promise not to dawdle over it or bug you."

"Well, it just so happens that I am doing my homework too," I say. "Come and join me."

She looks at my book.

"What subject is that?" she asks. "English?"

"Yeah," I say, too embarrassed to admit that it's a remedial reading class. "English."

"You know English is the foundation of all subjects," she says wisely. "Do you have to take math too?"

"Yeah," I say even though I can't remember.

But she nods.

"Everyone always has to take math and English," she just comments. "No matter where they go to school. In fact, even though I'm in French immersion school, I have to take English."

"Isn't that kind of weird?" I remark. "You know taking English classes in a French school?"

"Not really," she says. "Your brain just switches from one language to the other, well, pretty easily. It's all related to smell actually. Of course, I'm more sensitive to smell than my classmates. All of my classrooms smell different to me. I automatically adjust to whatever subject I have."

I think for a minute.

"I can see that," I say. "Whenever I go to work and I smell all the oil and grease and stuff, my brain starts thinking about car stuff, you know how to fix them and all. I never realized that that was related to smell. Have Edward and Carlisle been talking about brains again?"

"Not recently," she says. "But if we don't get to work soon, Momma will come and make me go home. Daddy will hear us not doing our work and tell her. And I really want to spend time with you tonight."

This pleases me very much. We both look at our books and begin to work. I like this. We are both doing our own things together. And even though I can't go to high school like the rest of them, I can still feel like I'm fitting into the family. And I think about how Jasper is jealous of me because I'm older and have more options than he does. It feels kind of weird to have a Cullen envious of me.

I look over at Renesmee who is doing math problems at lightening speed and realize that I better stop daydreaming or she will be done with her homework before I am done with mine. She looks up at me with her sparkling chocolate brown eyes.

"Come on, slow poke," she says with smile. "If I'm done before you, I have to leave so you can concentrate. We both have to be done if we want some time to socialize."

I grin back and then look down at my book. That sounds like something that Carlisle or Esme would say. I guess that I am really fitting in like one of their kids. Now if I could only forget about La Push, life would be perfect.


	34. Doing the Right Thing

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: I apologize again for the time lag between updates. I do have the next several chapters planned out, but it is difficult to keep up with this story and the other, "Jewel in the Crown." That is more of a suspense story (very different from this one) with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. I will try to keep up with both, but since I work full time and right now am battling the stomach flu it is a challenge._

**Chapter 34: Doing the Right Thing**

"Renesmee," says Celine. "Your birthday is in a few days. Aren't you going to have a party to celebrate? Twelve is a pretty big number."

We are sitting on the grass during recess with our good friends Emma, Julie, and Becca. A few other girls have joined our little group, Kendra, Astrid, and Evie (whose full name is Evening Song). In two months, it will be Julie's thirteenth birthday and she is planning to have her party at the little pottery studio in town.

In addition to the usual birthday things, we will each get to paint our own little pottery object. I have never been to a children's birthday party before, but I have reds about them in books and seen them in movies. They look like they are fun.

"I hadn't thought about it," I reply, wondering what she would say if she knew that it was really my seventh birthday. "We usually just have a quiet family day. I've never had a enough friends to have _that _kind of party. You know, the kind that you invite your friends to."

"I forgot," says Celine. "Of course you couldn't have had a party like that before. But surely Esme would want for you to have a party. She seems like that kind of Mom."

She is. But I still can't imagine everyone coming to our house and having a party there. Then I remember something.

"Well," I say. "I'm sure that it's not possible this year. I mean aside from the fact that we live so far out of town. Our house still isn't completely renovated. And the boys have to do their work on weekends because they are in school now."

That should do it, I think. My birthday is on Saturday. This is as good an excuse for not having one as any. And maybe next year, with enough planning, we can actually work something out.

"That's too bad," says Emma. "But don't you _want _to have a party?"

"I guess," I say uncertainly. "I've never had one before so I really don't know. I've never even been to one, except for my brothers and sisters and they are all older."

"A family party just isn't the same thing," insists Celine. "And now that you live here near people and you go to school, you should have a real party."

"I thought that my family party was a real party," I say wrinkling my forehead. "But I don't know about much these things since I have never even been to a children's party before."

"Well, of course not!" says Emma. "Why didn't we think of that? But it's lots of fun and everyone gives you presents."

"Oh," I say. "I really don't need presents. Just having you all as my friends is a nice enough present for me."

"But don't you see?" asks Evie. "That's why we want to buy you presents, because you're so nice. It's fun for us to give you presents so that you can open them and we can see how much you like them."

"I never thought of that," I say. "But that makes sense. I like buying special gifts for my family to show them how much I love them. But I still don't see how we could organize anything like that in time. Everyone is so busy, you know."

"Don't worry," says Celine. "We will think of something. I will have my Mama call your Mom. Okay?"

"Okay," I say, but I can't say anything else because the bell rings.

We immediately link arms and all walk back to the building as a long line of giggling girls. In fact, that's what Mlle. Charles calls us, her giggling girls. But when we get in line, I notice that the other two girls in our class, Terah and Misty are standing off to the side and looking at us longingly. We are the first to the building, then the boys pile into the line. Last of all are the other two girls.

"Why don't Terah and Misty ever hang out with us?" I whisper to Celine.

"I don't know," she says. "They could if they wanted to."

"Maybe they are too shy to ask," I say quietly.

"Perhaps," she says. "I never thought of that. I just thought that they only wanted to hang out with each other."

"I'm going to ask them," I say and then walk back to where they are standing at the end of the line behind the boys.

"Terah! Misty!" I whisper frantically because I see that the aide is getting ready to call our class in next. "Do you want to hang out with us at recess tomorrow?"

They both look very surprised and then scared, but nod. Suddenly I feel a strong hand on my shoulder.

"Renesmee Cullen," says the voice of Mme. Beauclair. "You will stay after school today for detention for talking while standing in the lunch line!"

"Yes, Madame," I say swallowing hard.

As we walk in, my mind is working frantically. I have ballet after school today and Madame Olga will be very mad if I am late. And what about Esme and the others? They will have to wait until I finish serving my hour. And Emmett is never going to let me forget this. I can't believe that I got myself into trouble like this. The Cullens never get in trouble. They are always perfectly behaved.

As the class walks into the room, I can hear the boys whispering about me. The other girls are looking at me with sympathy. Celine pats my back and gives me a look that says that she is sorry. But I am humiliated. Mlle. Charles is not in class yet, so I put my head in my arms on my desk and try not to cry, but the tears begin to slip out anyway. Suddenly, I feel a gentle hand on the back of my head.

"Renesmee," says the kind voice of Mlle. Charles. "Do you feel sick? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

I shake my head and then the tears just overflow. This just keeps getting worse by the minute! If I go to the nurse, then she will take my temperature and think that I am very sick. We are going to have to leave Whitehorse and all because I talked in line! I realize now that I could have waited to talk to Terah and Misty, but I felt so bad for them. I just wanted to make them smile.

"Can anyone please tell me what is wrong?" asks Mlle. Charles.

The entire class breaks into all voices talking at the same time about how mean Mme. Beauclair is and how it is not fair that I have detention. At the word detention, Mlle. Charles immediately quiets everyone.

"What in earth could Renesmee have done to deserve detention?" she asks in a puzzled voice. "Could you please explain it Celine?"

"Mme. Beauclair gave Renesmee detention for talking in the lunch line coming back from lunch," she says quickly. "But she wasn't just chatting about nothing. She was worried about Terah and Misty because they never sit with us during recess. She thought that they were too shy to just come over, so she decided to ask them. But she thought of doing it a little too late and Mme. Beauclair caught her."

"It's all my fault," says Terah, sounding very upset. "Renesmee was just trying to be nice, but she didn't understand Mme. Beauclair and her rules."

"I was too scared to say anything," adds Misty. "Mme. Beauclair was looking at her very fiercely."

"So let me get this straight," says Mlle. Charles. "Renesmee was given detention for talking in the lunch line. But she was asking Terah and Misty to hang out with the rest of the girls because she wanted to be nice."

"Yes," says Celine. "I think that it was mean that Mme. Beauclair gave her detention without asking why she was talking. She knows that she is new."

"Renesmee," says Mlle. Charles gently. "You don't need to cry. It will be all right."

I shake my head no.

"I will be late for ballet and Madame Olga will be mad at me," I reply. "And my Mom and brothers and sisters will have to wait for me in town. And my brother Emmett will tease me for the rest of my existence!"

"Now that is getting a little over-dramatic now, isn't it?" she says, and then I realize that I said 'existence,' when I should have said 'life.'

"You don't know Emmett," I say quietly.

Mlle. Charles looks at me for a long moment.

"Celine," she says. "Would you please take Renesmee to the bathroom to wash her face and calm her down?"

"Yes, Mademoiselle," she says.

Then she puts her arm around me and we leave together. In the bathroom, she watches as I splash water on my face.

"It really isn't fair, you know," she says. "I don't see why you have to be punished for being nice. No one ever asks Terah and Misty to hang out with her. They get left out a lot. And then finally, someone goes over to invite them to join in, and bam! That person gets in trouble."

"Will Madame Olga really be so angry if I am late?" I ask her anxiously.

"Madame loves you," she replies. "And I will explain everything to her. She always wants everyone to be friends, even though we compete against each other for parts. She will understand."

"Maybe she can talk to Emmett," I mutter.

Celine rolls her eyes.

"Maybe Emmett needs to grow up," she suggests.

I have to smile at that. Little does Celine know that Emmett will never grow any older than he presently is.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

I nod and we return to the classroom. When we arrive, we discover that Mlle. Charles is not there. There is an assignment written on the board in her neat cursive handwriting and an aide sitting at the desk watching the students.

Celine and I go to our desks, pull out our math books and start doing the problems. As always I have to remind myself to write at human speed. It is especially difficult to do when I am nervous. I do my best to focus completely on my math, but unwelcome thoughts of detention and Emmett keep creeping into my head. Suddenly I jump because Mlle. Charles speaks to me.

"Come with me, Renesmee," she says kindly. "We are going to see Mrs. Miller. You are not in trouble."

As she says the last words, she looks sharply at the boys, who had started to whisper and nudge each other. As we walk down the hallway, she has her arm around my shoulders. When we arrive at Mrs. Miller's office, we immediately go inside and sit down.

"So, Renesmee," says Mrs. Miller kindly. "I understand that you got in trouble at lunch today for trying to do a good deed."

I nod.

"You were talking in the lunch line because you wanted to befriend a couple of girls who were always left out," she continues.

"I didn't mean to talk in the line," I reply. "But I was so worried about Terah and Misty being unhappy because they were afraid to sit with us that I didn't think. Now they feel bad and think that it's their fault. But it's my fault because I broke the rules. I should serve my detention so that I never talk in the line again."

"So then, you feel that you deserve your punishment?" she asks surprised.

"When you break the rules, you must be punished," I explain. "Cullens aren't supposed to break the rules."

"I see," she says. "I understand that you are worried about what your family will say."

I nod again.

"Everyone is going to have to stay in town later today because of me," I say. "And Emmett will never let me forget it."

"For the rest of your existence?" she asks with a little smile that says that she thinks that I am being over-dramatic too.

"You do not know Emmett," I say. "You should see him tease Bella."

"He teases Bella?" she asks in surprise. "That poor, shy little girl who relies on her foster sister to speak for her?"

"Emmett teases everyone," I say. "That's just Emmett. He thinks that everything is a joke."

"Hmm," says Mrs. Miller noncommittally. "Well, I think that I would like to talk to your mother and Mme. Beauclair about this. Since you are willing to take your punishment, perhaps we can arrange for you to serve on a day when you don't have ballet and so that your parents can arrange for your late pick up. How does that sound?"

"Better," I say. "I do not have ballet tomorrow."

"Good," she replies. "And I will talk to your mother about not letting your siblings find out. I was going to suggest that we give you a warning instead of detention."

"No," I say. "That would not be right. But it would be better if I could serve my detention on another day."

"You are a very unusual child, Renesmee Cullen," she says. "Most children would jump at the chance to get out of detention."

I think about it for a minute.

"No, if you break the rules then you have to pay the penalty," I reply. "I don't want any special treatment. I want to fit in."

"A most unusual child," she mutters to herself as she writes something down. "You may return to class with Mlle. Charles."

As we walk down the hall, Mlle. Charles looks at me curiously and says, "You seem to have composed yourself."

"Celine was very comforting," I say.

She nods as we enter the classroom.

Later when we are waiting for our rides in the cafeteria, Celine whispers to me, "How did you get out of detention?"

"I didn't get out of it," I whisper back. "I'm going to serve tomorrow when I don't have ballet."

Then I put my finger to my lips, because Mme. Beauclair has entered. She doesn't look my way at all. And she doesn't say a word. When I get in the van, Daddy put his arm around me and gives me a little squeeze. His eyes tell me that he knows from my thoughts and Esme's what happened. But I know that I can trust him not to tell. When we get to the studio, I grab my dance bag and run in.

When Carlisle picks me up later, he looks at me a little sharply.

"How was your day?" he asks.

"It was good and bad," I say, because I can see that Esme told him everything.

"Well, we need to talk a little bit about the bad," he says.

"I'm sorry," I say immediately. "I didn't mean to break the rules. I was just so eager to make Terah and Misty happy."

"That wasn't what I meant," he replies. "I'm talking about telling your teacher that Emmett will tease you for the rest of your existence. And that he teases your Momma the most."

"I know that I shouldn't have used the word existence," I say. "But it's okay. I think that Mrs. Miller and Mlle. Charles thought that I was being over-dramatic."

"They did," he says. "But telling them about Emmett teasing everyone else, especially your Momma was not good at all. You need to remember that your Momma is playing a role. And in that role she is so quiet and shy because she had a very hard life until she came to live with us.

"Now talking about how Emmett teases her makes it sound like he is very heartless. It's not that I am saying that it is _right _that he teases her, but she can more than stand up for herself. However, the Bella that she is showing to the humans cannot.

"Esme had to work very hard to convince Mrs. Miller that Emmett wasn't bullying her. You have to remember that you can't talk very much about the family. There are too many things that you can say that seem benign to you, but are a big deal to them."

"Oh, I never thought of that," I say.

"I know," he says with a sigh. "But you are just going to have to keep working at seeming more human. Mrs. Miller was very surprised that you were willing to serve your detention because you wanted to be punished for doing the wrong thing, and because Cullens don't want special treatment because they want to fit in."

"Oh, yeah, now that you say it, I realize that the fitting in thing was a mistake," I say.

"You're lucky that Esme is so good at covering these things," he replies. "She told her that because you all are adopted and foster kids we were afraid that you would receive special treatment because people felt sorry for you. And as far as fitting in is concerned, she said that we thought it might be difficult because our family is so different from other families."

"Okay," I say. "I will be sure to follow the rules more carefully in the future. And I won't say so much that could be misconstrued."

"Listen to you," he says to himself. "I just hope that your French is not as sophisticated as your English."

We finish the ride silently, and when we get home, I rush up to my room to do my homework so that I can see Jacob and tell him all about it. But Esme stops me on the way in.

"Renesmee," she says. "I got a phone call from Sylvie Bouchard just now. She would like to invite you to go to Celine's house for a play date after ballet on Saturday."

"That would be fun!" I say. "May I go?"

"Of course," she says smiling. "You need to go upstairs and talk to your Momma and Daddy."

"Okay," I say, and begin to walk more slowly.

When I get up to our living room, Momma and Daddy are doing their homework at the table. They are both writing at lightening speed. I smile because I know it means that they are racing to see who is finished first.

"Would you like to join us?" asks Momma.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask nervously.

"No," says Daddy. "I think that Carlisle said everything to you that I would have. I just thought that it would be nice if you spent some time with us."

I knew what that was all about. This morning Momma was complaining because I spend more time with Jacob than with them. But she wasn't saying it in a mean way, she sounded sad. So I bring my backpack over and take out my books.

"So other than getting detention today," asks Momma. "What did you do?"

I think for a minute.

"Well, Celine noticed that my birthday is coming up on Saturday," I reply. "And she asked me if I was going to have a birthday party, you know like Julie is, for my friends. But I told her no because the house isn't ready yet. And I never had a kid birthday party before anyway. They understood because they know that I was home-schooled because we lived out in the middle of nowhere."

Momma and Daddy look at each other.

"Do you want to have a kid birthday party?" asks Daddy. "Tell the truth so that Momma can hear it."

"Well, yeah," I admit. "But I know that we can't have anyone here, so I told them that we were still working on the house and that the boys could only work on weekends because they were in school during the week."

"Good thinking," says Momma. "Did they ask about having a party in town, like Julie is having?"

"No," I say. "But I figure that if they do, I can just tell them that it is too late to plan it. They understand that since I was home-schooled, I never _went _to a kid birthday party either."

"Well, you're right about that," says Daddy. "It sounds like you covered that one well. And next year we will organize something for your friends."

"I never thought of it," admits Momma. "Because I never considered that you might have so many friends so soon after we moved here. But next year, we will definitely do something."

"Okay," I answer. "Besides, Celine invited me for play date after ballet on Saturday. That's even better than a party."

"I guess so," answers Momma doubtfully.

We sit and work in silence. Of course Momma and Daddy are finished before I am. Then, because I know that Momma misses me, I sit with them and we talk about school. It's then that I realize how much that I have missed finding out about them recently because I have been spending so much time with Jacob.

Now I feel funny about that. I don't like missing all the things that happen in their lives. And I realize that I miss them too. Daddy knows what I am up to because he can hear my thoughts, but Momma can't. We talk about that. She says that she likes hearing _me _tell her about my days and doesn't like just hearing it from Daddy.

It was so different when we lived in Forks. We weren't so busy going different places and doing different things all the time. We saw Jacob a lot more too. But now he has a job and he's going to school to learn a trade. I know that's important to him. He likes what he is doing and is happy being close to me. And he is happy that I am happy in school.

But my Momma is still my Momma. I didn't realize how many things I wanted to tell her until I started telling her. She was once a girl my age too and she understands how I feel about things. When she puts me down to bed that night, I have to tell her.

"Momma," I say. "I've missed you a lot too. I guess that I need to spend more time with you and not all my time with Jacob."

"But won't he miss you?" she asks.

"Oh, not so much as before," I say. "After all, he has a lot more things to do than when we were in Forks. He's going to school and he has a job, a real job. Before his job was running around as a wolf and protecting me. And he has his own friends in town too."

"Okay," she says. "Sleep tight!"

"Yes, Momma," I say as I close my eyes.

But before I close my eyes, I notice that she has a worried look on her face. Maybe she is worried because I got a detention and then told Mrs. Miller all about Emmett and his teasing.

Maybe she is worried because she is afraid that I am disappointed that I am not having a kid birthday party. But she doesn't need to worry about those things, especially the party. How can I be disappointed about something that I didn't even know existed?


	35. My Fourth Son

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 35: My Fourth Son**

It is amazing how quickly we have fallen into our new routines in this life in Whitehorse. It has been three weeks since the children started school and Jacob arrived. Most important of all, everyone is happy with our new life. However, in Jacob's case, I need to qualify that.

Although Jake is externally happy, there seems to be an underlying melancholy in his disposition. I decide to ask Edward about it when we are out hunting by ourselves.

"Edward," I say after we have finished with two caribou each. "How is Jacob doing these days?"

"Do you really have to ask, Carlisle?" he answers. "He's better than he has been in a while. He has a job that he loves, is learning a trade that he likes, and spends all the rest of the time that he has with Renesmee. What more could he want?"

"It just seems to me that sometimes he seems to be a bit melancholy," I reply.

Edward now looks thoughtful.

"Jacob misses La Push sometimes," he says. "Most of the time he isn't thinking about it, at least not when he is near me. But when he does think about it, there seems to be a terrible ache inside."

"I don't suppose that you ever listen to his thoughts when he is by himself?" I say.

"He doesn't like it when I hear his thoughts when I am in his presence," he says. "I think that the guy deserves a little bit of privacy."

"I know, I know," I reply backing off. "I just wish that I could understand why he isn't more completely happy."

"Jacob is never going to be able to escape the pull of the reservation," he says. "He has a year to figure out which of the two that he can't live without, his imprint, or his tribe and homeland. Right now the imprint is winning, but the longer he is away from home, the stronger pull is back there."

"I thought that nothing was stronger than the pull of the imprint," I say.

"No one has ever tested that theory by leaving home to follow an imprint," he replies. "Of course, no one has ever had to before. Now the tribe, by refusing to allow Renesmee to live there, has made things easier for Renesmee and us. She doesn't have to change anything or go anywhere. But if he wants her, he has to give everything up. The choice is completely his."

"Will she accept it if he chooses to go back to La Push?" I ask.

"She is not even considering the possibility," he says. "Somehow she missed the part about the one year trial period away from home. She thinks that he is just going to stay with us forever. And that is just fine with her. I think that she still may be too young to understand the full ramifications of his choice.

"There is also the fact that even if she were not half-vampire, even as a full-blooded white child, she would not understand the Native American affinity for their land. Americans, throughout their history, have always been on the move. If things don't work out for one reason or another in one place, they move to another. But our freedom of movement has limited that of the Native Americans who we displaced.

"Many tribes, if their survival was threatened by drought or other natural disasters, could always pick up and move somewhere else. It is impossible for them to do that now that they have been consigned to reservations. It is one of the things that perpetuate the cycle of poverty. For many tribes, the only way that they can stay on their lands and make a viable life for themselves is by building casino gambling establishments."

"Where the palefaces can lose their money to them?" I ask.

"Something like that," he answers.

"I am surprised that the Quileutes haven't thought of that," I reply.

"They have," he says. "At least Sam's generation has. But Sue and Billy are completely opposed. I picked this up from Quil's thoughts after he had been to a council meeting where it was discussed and he was still thinking about it. Billy and Sue are looking at the social costs to the tribe if they go the gaming route to economic prosperity and they feel that they are too high."

"Do you agree?" I ask.

"I don't know enough about it," he says. "Quil's thoughts were too vague and no one else has thought of it since. Or rather, they haven't thought of it in my presence."

"So Jacob hasn't thought of it?" I ask.

"Not even on his radar," he replies. "As far as I know. But his choice is constantly in the back of his mind. He tries to ignore it, but it never really goes away. If he should decide to return to La Push, it will mean that he is giving up his imprint on Renesmee, if he can anyway. And it will be a real shock to her. She thinks that she will have him forever, not one year."

"I was afraid of that," I reply. "But he also hasn't phased once since he has been here. If he stops phasing then his 'forever' is going to be dramatically shortened."

"I know that, but I'm reluctant to say anything," he says. "And not because I want him to start aging and live a normal, human lifespan. I just don't want to start giving advice where it's not welcome. His feelings toward me remain ambivalent at best."

"And your feelings toward him?" I ask.

"The same," he says. "But now that I have other things to think about, I don't have time to obsess over it the way I used to. And to be truthful, I don't think that a normal human life span is really such a bad thing. And I think that each of us, at one time or another, has wished to start aging again. At least when we begin in a new place we get to start pretending to age for a while. It's a benefit for all of us when we move back into the human world."

"It was a rough ride for Renesmee on Monday," I comment. "The human world is sometimes a scary place for our sheltered little hybrid."

"She did a very good job of tying herself up in knots over the whole incident," he replies. "She actually thought that we were going to have to leave Whitehorse because she got detention. Poor kid. I hate to think of even telling her about some of the reasons that we had to move in the past thanks to Emmett."

"Did he lighten up on the teasing after Esme read him the riot act?" I ask.

"Only in front of her," I say. "As soon as she dropped us off at school this morning, he started in on Rosalie about the latest guy that's crushing on her. The poor kid has it bad. Emmett got someone to pass him a note in Rosalie's handwriting. Now he's clinging to her side."

"I'll have a talk with him, again," I groan.

"It's hopeless," he shrugs. "It is something that was frozen into Emmett when he was turned. The rest of us are used to it. And as long as Renesmee doesn't broadcast it again, it won't be a problem."

"Well, apparently, the birthday party matter is resolved," I say.

"I heard Esme thinking about it," he says. "It's very nice of Sylvie to plan the surprise party. She even thought to invite Bella and I to join as her 'special siblings.'"

"You don't mind going to a girly party?" I ask chuckling.

"If it bothers me too much, I can always bow out for a while," he replies. "But Bella and I are both looking forward to seeing our daughter interacting among her little friends. And apparently, Sylvie invited all the girls in the class. She may be a gossip, but she was surprised to learn that two of the girls were left out of the little group that sort of organically formed."

"It wasn't purposeful though," I ask.

"It was more a sin of omission," he says. "The two of them just didn't have the nerve to drift over to the group. Renesmee told us about it tonight when she got home from detention. The two girls are both very shy and because they are First Nations children, feel awkward among the white girls. There is another girl, Evie, who is First Nations, but she is more outgoing."

"But Renesmee was more observant than the others," I comment.

"Renesmee observes everything," he says. "And she was so worried about making friends for herself that she sympathized immediately with the two outsiders and wanted to bring them into the group. It was an impulsive gesture, but well-meaning."

"Typical of her age," I remark.

"Whatever that is," he says good-naturedly. "Mrs. Miller spoke with Esme when she picked her up. I went along for moral support. She and Mlle. Charles were both bothered by the callousness of the other teacher, even after the full situation was explained to her. They are grateful that Renesmee was willing to take her punishment, even though they felt that it was undeserved, and that Esme didn't raise a fuss about it."

"Are they still worried about the family dynamic?" I ask.

"No," he replies. "Apparently it is not uncommon for home schooling parents to hold their children to a higher behavioral standard than other parents. They say that they can see that Renesmee is somewhat academically advanced, but feel that not only is she too young for the high school, but she has also developed such a nice circle of friends that they wouldn't want to make her unhappy by taking her away from them."

"I am glad of that," I say. "She is certainly not ready for all of the boy/girl shenanigans that seem to go on up at the high school."

"Well, I have been monitoring the situation in the eighth grade to see what it is like," he says. "They do keep those kids pretty well insulated from the high schoolers. They are really only in that building because that is where the space is. And they do have their own wing. They haven't gotten to the whole girl/boy dynamic thing to the same degree as the ninth graders. But they will."

"Well then, Renesmee does have some time before she has to worry about that," I reply.

"Thankfully," he says. "But I don't think that Jacob is too happy with her right now."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"Renesmee realized that Bella missed her because she was spending all of her time with Jacob when she wasn't at school or dance class," he says. "So she has spent the last two evenings with us. I picked up in her thoughts that she realized that she was missing spending time with her Momma too. She has her own 'girl things' that she wants to discuss with her.

In fact that's why I'm out with you now. I was kind of booted out when Renesmee got back from Jacob's. She was the one who suggested that I should go hunting with you tonight."

"And more time with Bella cuts into her time with Jacob," I comment.

"Yes," he says. "And that is very difficult for him. But he is respecting the boundaries that we set up. He also knows that this is Renesmee's choice."

"Does he know about the party?" I ask.

"Are you kidding?" he asks right back at me. "If he knew, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. He would tell her in a minute. It is part of the imprint thing, no secrets."

"It will mean that they can't spend Saturday afternoon together as they always do, but I can see your point," I say. "I wouldn't want the pleasure of the surprise spoiled for her."

"Or her friends," he adds. "Her kindness toward the other students has not gone unnoticed. They are quite fond of her. I suppose that we shouldn't be surprised that she has won them all over so easily. She always did have a knack for that."

His voice is filled with affection and pride. The Jacob situation is really more complex than I had realized. Who would have thought that this compelling little girl could have drawn so many people to her in such a short amount of time? She is so pure and uncorrupted by the toxic media culture around us. And while Whitehorse is not completely isolated from the rest of the world, it is a simpler place than a city or suburbia.

But Jacob could end up paying the cost. I don't know how the social lives of the girls imprinted on by the wolves on the reservation adapted to the imprint. But their lives were constrained by their own ties to the reservation already. None of them would have viewed marriage to their men as limiting their own possibilities in life.

From what little I could tell, in addition to the adoration of the wolf, they also had a measure of security in their lives and a place of prestige in the tribes. Other than Rachel Black, none of those girls had been to college or lived in the outside world.

But Rachel hadn't really left the reservation because she was pursuing anything in particular. During one of our detente periods, Billy had admitted that she had been running away from the memories of her beloved mother who had died young.

And while she probably not have returned to the reservation to live after school, Paul's deep love and commitment had made it a more bearable place to settle. In fact, now she was absolutely content with her life. She might not have a career, but she did have a devoted husband, whom she could count in for life, and children to raise. What more could a young woman want?

At her current stage in life, it is impossible to say whether Renesmee might want those things. Although the other question is whether she would want them for centuries, if not millennia. Would her vampire nature and its perpetual quest for diversion be satisfied with such a life? Or would the power of Jake's imprint overwhelm that nature?

Two days later, I am driving back from my shift from the hospital, when Jacob flags me down as I pass by the cabin. He does not look happy.

"Hello, Jacob!" I say as I get out of the car. "How are you doing?"

"Not as good as I was," he says. "I haven't seen much of Renesmee lately. When she stopped in last night, she told me that she had a play date after her ballet class on Saturday with a little girl in town."

"Oh," I say. "When Esme told her about the invitation, she was very eager to go. She had had a rough day at school and it made her feel better."

"She told me about that too," he says. "Was it really fair that she had to serve detention for trying to be nice to a couple of other kids?"

"Fair or not, it was her choice to serve it," I say. "She was offered a way out, but chose not to take it."

"Only because she was afraid that it would force the entire family to leave Whitehorse," he says. "And she chose to serve it on a day when she didn't have ballet, because she didn't want to miss class."

"She takes her responsibilities seriously," I answer. "I can't fault her for that and neither should you."

"But then Bella made her feel guilty for spending time with me," he continues to complain.

"Bella made her feel guilty for _not _spending time with her," I reply. "But Renesmee also realized that she missed that mother-daughter time. Jacob, you need to realize that our life in Whitehorse has expanded all of our social horizons, not just Renesmee's. I know that you were used to having a lot of time with her in Forks, but part of that was due to her isolated existence."

"I know," he sighs.

"Jacob, I know that you want her to be happy more than anything else," I say. "That is the nature of your imprinting. And you want to make sure that she is safe. But you should know that she is and that we would never allow her to go any place where she is not safe. But this is a very different world from La Push and we do not want to limit her experiences, especially when she is looking forward to them, so that you can have more time with her."

"I know," he says with another huge sigh and sits down.

"Listen, Jacob," I say. "I have offered to act as your father while you are here and to give you advice when you needed it. That offer is still open."

"Thanks, Carlisle," he says, gesturing at the chair beside him on the porch. "You want to take a seat?"

"Jacob, it seemed to me like things were going well for you," I say. "What happened? This can't just be about Renesmee spending a couple of evenings with her parents? And she did come over here to spend time with you last night. If it makes you feel any better, she kicked Edward out of the house last night so that she could have time alone with Bella."

"I know," he says. "She told me that she was going to do that before she left. And I'm really grateful that you are paying for this semester at the college. By the end of the year, I'm going to have a real future in heavy machinery work. Apparently, I'm not just good at fixing cars.

"And I like my job at the garage also. The people there are great. Everyone is real nice to me. In some ways they are more accepting up here than they were down in the states that I am a Native American."

"I did notice that cultural difference the last time that I lived in Canada," I say. "Even though a lot of people view this country as just a cultural extension of the US, they really have a very distinct culture of their own."

"Yeah," he says. "I noticed that. In a lot of ways, it really is a great place to live."

"But it's not La Push," I finish.

"No, it's not La Push," he says. "I mean, I don't even know why I want to go back there. I don't feel like there is a lot for me to go back to. I can probably use my certifications to get good work off the Rez. But I would never be able to live there with Renesmee. And now I have to wonder if I even can have a future with her."

"Why?" I ask.

"Well, it's like she doesn't care about me anymore," he says.

"She cares," I say. "More than you realize. But you also need to know that she is finally getting the chance to interact with kids her own age, so to speak. Or, as Edward says, whatever age she is. The other kids love her and want to be around her.

"But I am sure that you can see why. It has always been one of her finest characteristics that others are drawn to her. We haven't seen this in years, not since the vampires came to witness and testify that she was not an immortal child.

"She has spent all of her life around adults, and that is not normal for a growing child. This is giving her a chance to spend her last years growing up among her social peers. Would you deny her that?"

"No, of course not," he says. "But she doesn't seem to realize how much I'm giving up to be with her."

"She doesn't," I say bluntly. "It is a function of her developmental age. She is, perhaps to a lesser degree than most, a self-centered adolescent. She is trying to find out who she is. Can't you remember what you were like at that age?"

"I guess I can," he says.

"What did you want to be when you grew up?" I ask with a smile. "At that age."

He looks at me surprised and then sheepishly.

"I wanted to be on a pit crew at the Indy 500," he admits. "For starters. I was pretty obsessed with cars and car racing. I guess that I wanted to be a race car driver like Dale Earnhart."

"Did you have friends that you hung out with a lot?" I ask.

"Yeah," he sighs. "Me and Quil and Embry were pretty tight. Okay, Carlisle, you've proven your point. Renesmee is still a kid and I need to let her be one. I guess, I'm just all mixed up about a lot of things right now."

"I can see that," I reply. "And you want to know something? There's nothing wrong with that either. Let's face it. Your adolescence, the time when you were growing up from a boy into a man, was truncated rather severely by something far beyond your control."

"What do you mean?" he asks leaning forward.

"You were a normal sixteen-year old boy, going to school, hanging out with your friends, and rebuilding cars when all of the sudden you were thrust into the body of a twenty-five year old man and into great deal of tribal responsibility," I say.

"And let's not forget that you were suddenly phasing into the body of an enormous wolf a lot of the time. Instead do doing all of the normal things that teenage boys do, you were out protecting your tribe against some pretty serious dangers. But that was something that you were born into. You didn't choose it.

"You were also caught up in a romantic triangle that would have serious consequences for the rest of your life. No sixteen-year old boy these days thinks about the girl that he will marry someday. But you were forced into considering it because you saw the girl you loved tying herself to someone else, someone who was your mortal enemy.

"But no sooner had you passed through those trials, then you imprinted an a newborn child. Suddenly, your entire future was tied to the welfare of that child. And to add insult to injury, the child was of a different, for lack of a better word, breed and had parents from an entirely different culture. And that culture does not accept the rights of the imprinter as a given.

"You are trapped into a situation that would challenge the most mature man, and yet you never had a chance to complete your own adolescent development. By physically maturing so rapidly, you became a man before you finished being a boy."

"Jasper told me that he envies me because I have grown into a man," he says. "He says that sometimes it bothers him because he will never get to be any older than a college student. He will never be able to have a career."

"I know that," I say. "He and I have discussed that many times, just as I have discussed with Edward his frustration at always being a student. And Emmett also gets tired of going to school. That's why he and Rosalie will sometimes travel or live apart from us as a married couple. But none of those identities are lasting in the human way. Sooner or later we have to move and start over."

"Have you ever talked to the girls about it?" he asks.

"I leave the girls to Esme," I say with a smile. "But getting back to you, I think that it's great that you are happy with your job and school. You seem to fit into Whitehorse very well. In fact, occasionally at the hospital, someone will mention that they are glad that 'that Jacob kid' followed us to town. Old Joe at the diner likes you a lot."

"You know old Joe?" he asks.

"Old Joe sees me once a week for his blood pressure and diabetes," I reply. "Actually, he really only needs to see me once a month, but I think that he comes in for the conversation. He thinks that you're a fine young man and he has half-a-dozen girls in mind for you to be your wife."

"Half-a-dozen girls who I can't see because the only face that I see is Renesmee's," he says quietly. "What if she doesn't want me someday? The imprint is really only in one direction."

"I know," I say. "But Edward told me that she doesn't understand that at the end of this year, you could decide to go back to La Push. She thinks that you are going to stay with her forever, even if she doesn't have marriage on her mind. She is taking that for granted. It's pretty much the way most kids are. They take the things they have for granted. But the good news is, that as she grows older, she won't. One day, she will appreciate you the way that you deserve."

"She really wants me to be with her forever?" he asks me in surprise.

"Yes, she does," I say.

"And what does Edward say about that?" he asks.

"He says that it's her choice," I reply truthfully. "And let's face it. He doesn't want to admit it, but it is entirely possible that when Renesmee reaches her full growth that she won't be an eternal teenager like him and Bella. She may grow into an age equivalent of her twenties, like say, Esme."

"Wow!" he says. "I never thought of that. That kind of sucks for Bella and Edward."

"Well, they are dealing with it now by ignoring it," I say. "I guess what I'm saying is that you shouldn't give up on Renesmee quite yet. If you let her do her girl things and have her Mommy time when she needs it, she will probably still be there for you when she's ready to choose a partner in life."

"And the key word for her is choose," he sighs. "I don't have a choice."

"You need to stop brooding over that," I say. "The more important choice facing you right now is whether or not you return to La Push. You have been here for almost a month and things are going well. But there is something that does concern me."

"What?"

"In the whole time that you have been here, you haven't phased once," I say. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but if you stop phasing then you begin to age again, right?"

"That's true," he admits. "I haven't phased because I don't want to deal with all the crap of having the other guys in my head. And I haven't gotten mad enough or felt the need to protect anything. You know. I don't need to run patrols up here to protect the tribe from the vegetarian vampires up the road who aren't going to attack us anyway."

"I'm glad that you have a sense of humor about it," I say. "But you have to remember that Renesmee is an immortal. She will not age. If your imprinting commits you to her, then you will have to keep phasing to stay youthful yourself."

"You know what your problem is, Carlisle?" he suddenly says. "You think about all of this stuff so damn much that you know more about it than I do. I don't understand why you are even bothering."

"Because I view you as a fourth son," I say simply. "And I want you to be happy. That's all that most parents want for their children. And while I can give you advice and guidance, ultimately your choices in life are up to you. And it really does bother me however to see _you _unhappy. Especially when the rest of us are so happy."

"There are times when I wish that you really were my father," he says. "But then I remember that I would have to live with vampire stink and I reconsider it."

"Just because I view you as a fourth son doesn't mean that I want to live with wolf stench either," I answer back. "As long as we understand each other so well now, I have some paperwork that I want to get done before Esme gets back with the kids. I'd like to get some alone with her."

"So I'm not the only one who has trouble getting quality time with my favorite person in the world?" he asks.

"No, you have plenty of company," I reply with a grin.

I leave him considering my words. I know that I've given him a lot to think about. But I don't want him to make any decisions too hastily. When he makes the choice, it has to be the right one. Or he could be very miserable for the rest of his life. But he has no idea of how much I envy his ability to decide to age again.

Just as I have in the past, I have found a home where I could easily see myself settling in and staying around for a long time. The next five or six years will go by very quickly and then we will have to start over. In many ways, immortality is a curse. But I can only live the existence that I am granted. Unlike Jacob, I don't get to choose.


	36. Bella's New Friend

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 36: Bella's New Friend**

Despite the fact that I thought that I knew what I was getting into, I never realized how different high school would be from the vampire point of view. In the first place, it is great to have a vampire mind and learn material so quickly and thoroughly. I can easily see now why the Cullens were always able to do their homework so quickly.

It wasn't just because they had been through high school more than a dozen times. You retain not only more of what you hear, but also more of what you read. And the ability to write at vampire speed makes taking notes literally a breeze. I had hoped that when I became a beautiful vampire that my handwriting would also improve. However, my old scrawl is still the same, my old scrawl, only faster.

Edward laughed at me when I asked him about it, and the fact that his handwriting was like calligraphy. Apparently, before the days of computers, they spent a lot more time in school making kids practice their penmanship. And, while all kids back in the early twentieth century didn't have cursive handwriting as beautiful as his, even their worst handwriting was better than mine.

Three weeks into the school year and I'm glad that I had the chance to practice at being the object of attention as the new kid when I went to Forks High School. The difference is that this school is a lot bigger and there are fewer kids who really care about us. Alice told me that it's unusual for the Cullens to blend in so well and not to get used to it.

And it's not like there aren't those who find us freaky. After all, how many families of gorgeous, super-pale, look like they need a good night's sleep kids are there in the world? I had always wondered why they had all worn long sleeves to school, even in warm weather. But now I knew.

I never realized how often humans touched each other's arms. Mostly, it was just by bumping into each other in crowded hallways, but there were also those times when someone would put her hand on my arm or he would brush up against me accidentally on purpose. Skin to skin contact would certainly have given away that something wasn't right with us.

And since the first day, I was often very grateful that I had Alice jumping in to speak up for me. The biggest problem that I had was when I became comfortable in casual conversation with someone. After thing that I had never realized was the need that humans had to share similar experiences and compare notes about previous perceptions. For me, the most dangerous time of the day was science, when it was just my lab partner and me chatting about mundane as well as scientific things.

My initial impression of Maggie had been correct. She was sweet, shy, and reminded me a lot, the more I got to know her, of Angela Weber. Unlike Angela however, Maggie had never made it into any if the "alpha" social crickets at the high school. In fact, it seemed as though she didn't have many friends at all. The more I got to know her, the less I understood why.

It took me a couple of labs, but I was finally able to draw her out. My biggest challenge with the labs, aside from the fact that I had done them already, was that I was capable of doing them at lightening speed. In addition to slowing down, I also had to let my partner figure out the answers too.

This was the kind of thing about school that frustrated Edward to no end, which was why he liked it when there were an odd number of students in the class. In addition to the vibes he put off that put the other students off from _him, _the teachers preferred that he work alone for fear that he might just give his partner the answers. It was lucky for Maggie that I had more patience.

Because I was also "shy," I could let her control the conversation. During our first lab, I had Edward listen to her thoughts. Throughout the lab, we worked very quietly together while I subtly let her answer the questions, sometimes giving her hints. She didn't ask any of the usual questions about a newcomer, but it wasn't due to lack of interest.

Edward discovered that it was actually she who was worried about me. She was happy that I seemed to be able to "follow along" and occasionally had some good insights. In fact, she was trying not to dominate the lab activity because she had done it before. When she wasn't sympathizing with me for being the new kid in school, she was thinking about her own family. Once I knew her story, I decided to try and get it out of her.

"So Maggie," I said during our next lab. "Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

She smiled at me shyly.

"I come from a big family too," she replied. "Only I'm the oldest, not the youngest."

The story put out was that of the six high schoolers, I was the youngest and would be turning fourteen on September 13.

"I do have one younger sister," I said. "Her name is Renesmee and she's in the seventh grade."

"Is she in French Immersion too?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "She is in Mlle. Charles's class."

"Then she is in class with my little sister Terah," she said. "I have two younger sisters and two younger brothers and they all go to that school. I will have to ask Terah about Renesmee."

I ran through the list of little girls that Renesmee had already mentioned from her class, but the name Terah wasn't among them.

"I don't think that Renesmee has mentioned her," I remarked.

"Terah is like me," explained Maggie. "She's very shy. We just moved here last year from northern British Columbia, you know, Dawson City."

"The beginning of the Al-Can," I said.

"Yes," she said. "My father received a better job offer up here and with such a big family, he decided to take it. But all of our family is still back in BC. You know, the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins . . . Up here, it's just us."

"That must be hard," I replied.

I'm glad that I knew that ahead of time or I might have let it slip out that I knew what it was like to move away from your home to go to a place that you've never been before. Or in my case, to a place where I _had _been before but had hoped to never go back to.

"It's very hard," she agreed. "Especially since . . . "

As soon as her voice trailed off it took all of my self-control not to put my arm around her shoulders to comfort her. But that was out of character for me. I had to remember that I was the shy one.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me anymore," I said carefully. "I didn't mean to pry."

"Thanks," she said. "I don't really like to talk about it."

I understood and respected her privacy. It was bad enough that I already knew what part of it was since my husband, the master spy, had told me. Of course, he wouldn't tell me the whole truth because he thought that I was such a bad actress. But then a couple of days later, I had another chance.

Maggie came into school looking completely exhausted. Edward, Alice, and I were standing together in the hallway when she walked in and then walked by us as if she didn't see me. Edward and Alice looked at each other anxiously.

"What is it?" I asked.

"She's had a rough night," said Edward at vampire speed. "I might as well tell you now that one of the reasons why they left Dawson City was because her mother had died suddenly and tragically. Her father couldn't stand to be around the memories. But if they had stayed, they would have had help with all the kids.

"Maggie is the one who has been taking care of the younger ones because her Dad works long hours. She thinks it's because he can't stand to look at them. Last night, he was working an all night shift and she was at home alone with the younger ones.

"One of her little brothers woke up screaming with a nightmare and a neighbor heard. The neighbor came over to see what was wring and found the kids all by themselves with no adults in the house. She left pretty pissed off and Maggie is scared of what she will do."

"When Maggie walked by," continued Alice. "I saw the neighbor calling the child protective services or whatever they call it up here. Then I saw a social worker coming."

"And taking them away," I breathed. "What can we do?"

"Nothing yet," said Alice. "I can't see any decisions made after they are taken out."

"Which means the future isn't definite," I said.

"Bella," said Edward grabbing my arm. "You can't get involved unless she tells you something. Remember that you don't know any of this. Alice, keep am eye on her."

"I will," replied Alice.

"Good," he nodded and ran off to his first class.

"What does that mean?" I asked Alice. "Good."

"I means that I don't see you telling her that you know everything anymore," she said as we began to move towards math. "Bella, you have to be careful. _This _kind of thing is just as dangerous for us as Edward lifting up a van to save you. If you can get her to confide in you, fine. But otherwise, stay out of it!"

"But you still don't see her confiding in me."

She shook her head as we entered math. That class, English, and History just crawled by as I ran through all the possibilities for what I could say to get her to open up in my mind. Every time I came up with a new one, I looked at Alice who shook her head. As the time drew closer, the more worried I became. Finally the bell rang and it was off to science.

When I got to the room, I panicked because I couldn't see Maggie there. Then she came dragging in, sat down beside me, and put her head on her arms. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to talk to her.

"Are you feeling sick?" I asked her.

She shook her head and then put it down again in her arms so that I would see her tears. The teacher began her lecture on single-celled organisms. She was oblivious to Maggie. I tried to focus on her words, but I could only see Maggie out of the corner of my eye. That was when I noticed her starting to slip on her lab stool.

"Excuse me," I said without raising my hand. "May I please take Maggie to the nurse? I think that she is ill."

"Of course," said the teacher absent-mindedly and continue to drone on.

On the way out I looked at Alice who gave me the thumbs up. Maggie was going to talk. Naturally, instead of going to the nurse, we went to the girls' room. Maggie was so tired I practically had to carry her. When we got there, I noticed the "closed for cleaning" sign on the floor, so I hung it up and closed the door. Maggie and I sat down on the floor after I helped her wash her face and get a drink of water from the water fountain.

"Thank you so much," said Maggie when she had recovered enough to talk. "You are not even my friend and you are helping me."

Then I remembered that I had a role to play.

"I know," I said shyly. "But, well, I kind of know what it's like to have problems at home. I know that you didn't say anything, but I can kind of tell."

"Is that why you're in foster care?" she asked.

"My Mom is kind of in prison for selling drugs," I admitted. "Nobody ever goes into foster care who _doesn't_ have problems at home."

"What about your father?" she asked.

"I never knew who my father was," I answered. "There is no name on the birth certificate. I mean, I don't think that my Mom even knows who my father was. It's kind of pathetic."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked, now interested in me. "I mean, other than your foster siblings."

"No, it was just me and Mom," I sighed. "But mostly just me. When I was little she used to lock me up in the house and tell me that if I made a peep I would be in big trouble. She was scared that the neighbors would come. We had an apartment and the walls were thin."

"So how did you end up with the Cullens?" she asked.

I knew that I would have to do a little embroidery, but I also knew that as long as I kept it in line with the general story and told everyone what I said, it would be okay. And if I knew my husband, I figured that Alice signaled him as soon as I left the room so that he could listen through Maggie.

"When the cops busted my Mom, they took me to the hospital," I said. "They said that I was dehydrated and undernourished. But I wouldn't talk to anyone. Then Dr. Cullen came in for his shift. He was really nice. I almost talked to him, but I was still too scared. My Mom always told me never to tell her secrets.

"I don't know why, but then Mrs. Cullen came. She was so nice that I wanted to talk to her. I told her a little and then I started crying and she hugged me. My real Mom never hugged me. When social services came to get me, she told them to let me come home with her. They were already in the system as foster parents because they had Rosalie and Jasper."

"The blonde twins?" she asked.

I nodded and then put my head down and let my hair fall over my face.

"I never tell anyone that story," I said. "I hope you want tell anyone. It would really suck if the other kids found out that my real Mom was in jail . . . "

I let my voice trail off, hoping that she would pick up on the shame that I was feeling even though I knew the story wasn't true. Maybe it was because I somehow felt that I was betraying Charlie and Renee for making up this bogus tale of childhood abuse. But Maggie caught my drift. If I was going to trust her, them she could trust me.

"Wow!" she said at first. "And I thought that my life was bad. I mean, it's pretty messed up right now, but at least I have my Dad, and my brothers and sisters. And before my Mom died we had a really great life."

"Your Mom died?" I asked remembering that I wasn't supposed to know that.

"Yeah," she said. "It was really awful too. She and my little brother were crossing the street in Dawson City when a car came driving straight at them. She threw my little brother out of the way, but it slammed right into her and killed her."

"Holy crap!" I whispered. "How did that happen?"

"Drunk driver," she shrugged. "At two in the afternoon."

"I hate drinking and drugs," I said emphatically.

"Yeah, I can see how you would, you considering your Mom and all," she said sympathetically.

"It must have been really bad for all of you," I said.

"Yeah," she said. "It still gives my little brother nightmares. He had a bad one last night and he was screaming so loud that our next-door neighbor heard and came over because she thought that someone was being killed. But it was just Colt. I tried to tell her not to worry, but then she started to snoop around."

"Uh oh," I said. "Nosy neighbors are bad news."

"Yeah, well, she figured out that I was the oldest one at home," she said. "I tried to lie to her and tell her that I was seventeen, but she didn't buy it. I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night because I was worrying. I'm afraid they're going to take us away and split us up."

"Where was your Dad?" I asked. "Did he, like, run away and leave you alone?"

"No, he was at work," she replied. "He works a lot of hours. I think that it's because he doesn't like being around the house with all us kids. We remind him of Mom. I think."

"Maybe they won't take you away," I suggested. "Maybe they'll just give him a warning that he has to stay home at night or get a babysitter. "

"You landed up in foster care," she answered.

"That's because my Mom landed up in jail," I replied. "And I don't know how it is in Whitehorse, but in Fairbanks there weren't a lot of foster homes. They were real happy when the Cullens wanted to take me. And when Dr. Cullen wanted to move, they even let him take me and Jazz and Rose out of the country."

"I hope you're right," she said.

"I don't know if I'm right," I replied. "But I do know that we should make a quick stop at the nurse's office and then get back to class."

"I missed all those notes," she said, getting upset again. "And you did too."

"Don't worry," I replied. "Alice takes really good notes. Come on. You can sit with us at lunch."

We got back to class with five minutes left. As soon as the bell rang, Alice was at our side.

"Hi!" she said in her chirpy little voice. "I'm Alice. I saw you leave the room with

Bella. Are you okay?"

"I'm better now," answered Maggie. "Thanks to Bella."

"Wow!" said Alice. "You got Bella to say more than two words to you. That's amazing!"

"Yeah, sure," she said, looking puzzled. "Bella was real nice. We talked about lots of stuff."

Then Alice began to lay it on thick.

"That's awesome," she said. "Bella never talks to anyone but family."

"Hi, girls!" said Edward coming up behind us. "Who's your new friend?"

"Actually," said Alice. "She's Bella's friend."

"Bella made a friend?" asked Edward looking surprised. "All by herself?"

"All by herself," said Alice proudly. "By the way, this is Maggie. It looked like she was sick and Bella helped her out of class. Maggie, this is our brother Edward. He's just a little over-protective."

"Just a little," I muttered.

"Well, Bella needs protecting," objected Edward. "And I look out for everyone in the family. But Bella is like another little sister to me."

"I always wanted an older brother," said Maggie wistfully.

"You can have one of mine anytime that you want," I muttered under my breath.

Edward practically tripped me from behind, after I said that, but I didn't care. At the moment it didn't even matter which brother she got.

By the time we reached the cafeteria, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were already at the table. But I didn't want to leave Maggie alone. I looked at Alice since I couldn't make that move on my own.

"Hey, Bella!" said Alice. "Why don't we sit with Maggie today? See there's a table right next to ours."

Edward gave her the evil eye and I wondered what he saw in her mind. After we sat down, I realized exactly what. Pauline immediately sat down next to Edward and demanded his attention. I slid down in my seat and hid my face behind my hair so that no one could see me laughing.

Meanwhile, Alice was chattering away about nothing in particular. However, she did set Maggie at ease enough to get her to confide in her also. Then I was thankful that my vampire brain allowed me to listen to two conversations at the same time, because suddenly I heard Pauline asking my husband to be her date for the Sadie Hawkins dance coming up in two weeks. If he could have, I know that he would have been blushing to the roots of his bronze-colored hair.

But Alice heard her too and whirled around.

"Sorry, Pauline," she said sweetly. "But Edward is already spoken for."

"Oh," she said, her face falling. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Bella!" answered Alice and turned back to Maggie.

"You're going with your sister?" asked Pauline in surprise.

Edward looked at her with a world-weary smile.

"We are trying to help Bella expand her social horizons a little," he answered. "She doesn't really like dances, but we decided that it would be good for her to go. So I'm going to be her 'date.'"

"Oh," she said. "So then it's not like a real date."

I kick Edward in the shin and he grimaces.

"I don't know," he said. "It feels real enough to me. You know, like, there's a boy, there's a girl. They are like, going to a dance. What would you say, Alice, real date?"

"Real enough," she shrugged.

Unable to believe what I was hearing, I turned my full attention to Maggie and Alice.

"I think that Bella's right," she was saying. "I don't think that social services will take you all away because your Dad worked late one night. What do you think Edward?"

"Highly unlikely," he agreed. "But we could tell Carlisle about it. He knows a lot of people in town. I bet that he could help."

"Carlisle?" asked Maggie.

"Dr. Cullen," I say softly.

"Oh, yeah," said Alice with a smile. "Edward can be a little rebellious sometimes. You know, he will call both our parents by their first names."

Edward gave her back a big toothy grin and just said, "That's right little sister."

But in the end, Carlisle's help wasn't needed. The child protective services had their hands full with children who were getting beaten up by their parents and all sorts of other horrible things. So even though the social worker made them come down to the town office, it was only until their father could pick them up.

Maggie's Dad agreed to not pull any more all nighters at work. If he did, he promised to hire a babysitter over the age of twenty-one to look after the kids. He grumbled about the second one, but didn't want to lose his kids.

It all worked out for everyone except for Pauline who ended up having to go to the dance next week with her cousin. And because of Alice's cover for the "date" between Edward and I, all six of us are going to the dance, as "dates" with our foster siblings. I can see what the reason is now for the split between "adopteds" and fosters.

I started thinking back to the day that we helped Maggie because today is the day of Renesmee's surprise party at Celine's house and I would finally get to meet Maggie's sister Terah. As usual, Esme drops her off at dance class. Then she comes back to the house for Edward and me, so that we could all help Sylvie decorate the house for the party. Of course, I have to remember that she is Mrs. Bouchard to me.

I am happy that Esme was able to arrange for Edward and me to also come. I never had a party like this when I was a child because it would start out as one of my mother's projects. But like so many of her projects, it would become so elaborately planned that she could never pull it off. And this is the kind of party that I had never dreamed that my daughter would have. On two scores, it is a dream come true.

Luckily, Sylvie isn't one of those parents who goes completely overboard with decorations. The table is tastefully decorated in pink and white for the ten little girls. After lunch, she has a couple of craft activities planned and a couple of games.

Then they will sing happy birthday, have the cake, and open the presents. I am impressed with her attention to detail and take notes for the party that I hope that we can have for her next year.

It is one of those times when I am enjoying being the shy one. Needless to say, Sylvie zooms in on me as the one she wants to converse with. Edward and Esme cover for me, but I know that she is still curious. I suppose that Renesmee gave out the cover story and now she feels sorry for me. But she is also known as one of the biggest gossips in town.

The dance class is over at noon, and before Sylvie goes out to pick them up, six of the other girls have arrived. I note with interest that Terah comes in with a tall, handsome First Nations man who has a look of profound sadness about him. He looks like kind of man who is still grieving for his dead wife.

Then two more girls arrive, Emma and Becca, who are bursting with some secret or another.

"Oh, Mrs. Cullen!" cries one of them. "I can't wait for Renesmee to get here so that she can tell you her marvelous news."

But she doesn't say anything else, because she has run into the little "pack" of girls who are giggling and whispering together. Edward has a broad grin on his face.

"I don't suppose that you are going to tell us what that was all about?" I ask.

"No way!" he says. "Two of you should be able to show genuine surprise anyway."

Then, we hear the car pulling up in the driveway. Everyone hides and we wait for the door to open.

"So Renesmee," says Sylvie loudly. "Are you ready for some lunch?"

That's the signal, we all jump out and yell, "Surprise!"

When I look at my daughter's face, the expression is first stunned and then amazed. Her eyes are huge and she looks absolutely thrilled. It is a look that I will remember for the rest of my existence.


	37. Perspective

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 37: Perspective**

I'm drowning my sorrows in my usual cup of coffee at the diner when my favorite lifeguard comes up behind me. It seems like every time I have a problem, she is there to listen.

"Hey, Jake," says Aurora. "Why the long face?"

"Oh, I don't know," I say. "It's kind of just been a long week. You know? And my friends Bella, Edward, and Renesmee are out for the day. Usually we hang out together on Saturdays."

"Oh, that's right, they are all at the surprise birthday party for Renesmee at Celine Bouchard's house," she says.

"What surprise birthday party?" I ask. "I knew that Renesmee had a play date with Celine after ballet, and Edward and Bella were taking in a movie with some of their friends at the high school. I didn't hear about a birthday party."

"That's because it was a _surprise_," she says. "Of course the biggest surprise was that Sylvie didn't spill the beans herself. But I do know that it was a big secret. The only reason that I mentioned it was that it already started."

"So if it was such a big secret then how did you know about it, Aurora?" asks Mary.

"One of the kids that I babysit for now, Terah Stone, was invited," she says. "She was so excited that she could hardly sleep last night. It's the first party that she's been invited to since they moved up here."

"Poor kids," says old Joe. "Lost their Mom in a traffic accident and then their Dad moves them up here to get away from the memories. But the kids are all torn up about it. How did you end up babysitting for them?"

"Dr. Cullen asked me, who else?" she says. "The oldest girl, Maggie, came to school all upset and Bella found out all about it. Apparently a neighbor had discovered that the Dad was leaving the kids home alone all night to work the graveyard shift.

Maggie was scared social services would take them away. The social workers did take them in to the office. But all that happened was that the Dad had to promise to get a babysitter whenever he worked overnight like that."

"So you're the babysitter?" asks Joe. "That figures. You always were a good girl Aurora."

"I know what it's like to be without a Mom," she shrugs. "That's why Dr. Cullen thought of me. The money is good and it doesn't interfere with school or my job at the hospital because all I really have to do I sleep in the house and get the kids ready for school. And these kids are very wellbehaved. That was all they needed. Someone over the age of twenty-one to stay overnight with them."

"Like I said," says Joe. "You're a good girl. It's time that some of the young men around here noticed that too."

He looks over at me significantly and Aurora turns bright red.

"I don't have time to date," she says. "Especially if I want to stay on track to get my practical nursing certificate by the end of this year. Besides, if you want to know about a really special girl, it's Renesmee."

Immediately, my ears prick up. So I'm not the only one who thinks that she's special.

"That's true," says Mary. "My granddaughter told me about what she did up at the school this week."

"Well, Terah was one of the two little girls that she got in trouble for talking to," says Aurora. "That poor little girl thinks that Renesmee is one of God's own angels come down from heaven to watch over her."

"Yeah," I say. "She told me all about it. I think that it's pretty unfair that she got detention for trying to be nice. But she just said that she was wrong to talk and served it. Her guidance counselor would have gotten her out of it."

"Old Beauclair needs to retire," says Joe. "I mean, it's one thing to be a tough teacher and hold the line on discipline. But come on. You got to be a little flexible sometimes. After all, the poor kid has never been to school before."

"Well, from what I heard," says Mary. "She thought that it was all to more to give her detention. She said that it would help reinforce the rules."

A pair of dancers comes in, dressed in shorts over their tights and wearing heavy sweatshirts. Their hair is still swept up into the kind of tight buns that Renesmee now wears to class. They are talking excitedly about something.

"Hey girls!" calls Mary. "I heard that they were casting the roles for _The Nutcracker _today. Did you get anything good?"

"I got Mother Ginger," says one of the girls.

"I'm leading the Arabian dancers," says the other. "But the big news is who got Clara."

"Who got her?" asks Aurora.

"A new girl who didn't even try out," answers the first girl. "But when Madame announced the role, all the twelves were clapping. Apparently, even though she's new, she's very popular, cute little girl too. You know, she has these long chestnut curls when her hair is down. She has a kind of funny French name, Renesmee. Her father is Dr. Cullen."

"Wow!" says Aurora. "That's awesome! And she never danced before?"

"She's a natural," replies the second girl. "I help with her pre-pointe class and she is very graceful. She pays attention to her technique and details. Madame loves her because she is so disciplined. It's funny that all the girls like her so much. She's kind of a shy kid. And you would think that they would all be mad because she got the best part. Celine is very protective of her."

"We were just talking about Renesmee," says Mary. "She's the one that got detention from Mme. Beauclair for talking on the lunch line. But all she was doing was inviting the two little girls in the class who were on the outside of the group to join in with the rest of them."

"I'm surprised the detention stuck," answers one if the girls. "I mean Mrs. Miller would usually bail the kid out in that situation."

"My little brother was talking about it and he said that she didn't want to cause any fuss. She was wrong for talking and she would take her punishment," says the other girl.

"How does everyone know about all of this stuff?" I ask. "I mean, it's not like Whitehorse is a tiny town."

"It may not be tiny," answers Aurora. "But it's close-knit. We take care of each other. The Cullens are new in town so everyone is watching them, especially since all the kids are adopted or foster kids. Some folks were worried that they would be trouble.

"But Dr. Cullen is the nicest and best doctor we've ever had and Esme is doing a lot to help the local businesses. The kids have all been nice and polite and now Bella and Renesmee have reached out to help other kids. I think it's because they know what it's like to have a rough life, especially Bella."

"She is kind of private about that," I say with a hint of warning in my voice, looking over at Mary and Joe.

"I know," she says. "And she never has shared the details with me. I think that everyone assumes that she's had it rough because the others are so protective of her, especially Edward and Alice. The older ones are a little more standoffish."

"Well, Rosalie and Jasper have it rough too," I say. "I think that it's really hard for them to be foster kids. At least if you're adopted you know that you can stay with the family."

"True," says Aurora thoughtfully. "How is school going for you?"

"It's great!" I reply. "I always liked to work with my hands. And now I'm learning about computers too. Some machinery has computers running various parts so you have to hook up a laptop to diagnose problems. It's the same with cars."

"Yeah," says old Joe. "I remember the days when you could drive down the street on a Saturday afternoon and half a dozen kids would be out there under their cars working on them. Those were the days! You could fix just about everything that you wanted to if you were handy enough. These days you don't even roll down your own windows anymore."

"I know," I said. "I rebuilt the bike. And back home I rebuilt a 1986 Rabbit when I was a kid. And I used to keep my Dad's 1957 Chevy truck running."

"Where the hell did you find one of those?" asks Mary. "The Rabbit that is. They stopped making them ages ago. And the truck probably belongs in a museum."

"Out on the Rez we had a lot of older vehicles," I say. "We basically drive them until they fall off their wheels."

"You people should get yourselves a casino or something," comments Joe. "I hear you make a lot of money doing that."

"Maybe you can make a lot of money," I answer, thinking of all of my father's arguments against it. "But the social costs are pretty high. And we have a small amount of land to begin with. Why would we want to give up any more of that?"

"I can see the point of that," adds Aurora. "Besides there are higher social costs for all of the communities around the reservation. There's more crime and poverty. And most of the jobs the casinos create aren't so great anyway. A lot of them are minimum wage. I think that they are right to keep them out."

"Still," says Joe. "They could improve their schools and all that with the money they bring in."

"Well," I say. "I have the whole afternoon to myself and I would rather not spend it talking about tribal politics. Here, Mare, keep the change."

I toss a twenty on the counter. I'm grateful for the new information I have. It isn't too hard for me to figure out why I wasn't told about the surprise party. They all know too well that I don't keep secrets from Renesmee very well. Aurora walks out with me.

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon?" she asks casually.

"Nothing specific," I say. "I thought that I would find a spot along the river and go contemplate life for a while."

"Do you mind if I come with you?" she asks a little hesitantly. "I don't have anything to do with my free afternoon either. I know a little spot just outside of town that has a great view of the mountains. I promise I won't bother you. I like to get out of town and think about things too. Sometimes it feels a little crowded in here."

"Sure," I say as I open the doors of the truck with my key fob.

"This is a great truck," she says as she buckles up. "It was certainly nice of Dr. Cullen to lend it to you."

"Dr. Cullen is a great guy," I say. "I feel like my Dad doesn't understand me at all. But Dr. Cullen, he just accepts me for who I am. It's like having a second father. Only this father doesn't judge me."

"I think that it's always easier to understand young people when they're not your own kids," she replies. "You don't have as large a stake in the outcome."

"I don't know about that," I say. "I mean, Carlisle is like that with all of his sons."

"And his daughters?" she asks.

"They are Esme's job," I say with a grin. "But I think that they talk about them all the time. And let's face it, except for Edward and Renesmee who really don't have any memories of their own parents, they are used to dealing with kids from difficult families."

"Yeah," she says uncertainly. "That makes sense."

We drive along the Al-Can outside of town until she shows me a turn off. We drive for another mile or so down, a gravel road and then we hit the end.

"It's not far from here," she says, as we get out.

We walk long in companionable silence until we hit a grouping of rocks near the river. It's kind of an outcropping so you can take a long view if the river going west and then across at the mountains. It is very quiet except for the sound of the rushing water. Aurora heads immediately over to a spot and sits down.

"Is that your favorite rock?" I ask.

"One of them," she replies. "I like to come out here and consider my life in all of its facets. The view gives me the perspective to realize that the whole world isn't just the city of Whitehorse."

"Why do you need perspective?" I ask.

"Well, I think that everyone does really," she answers. "My days are very busy between school, my job at the hospital, helping my aunt and grandmother at the store, and now babysitting for the Stone kids. Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying around everyone else's problems. I feel like I'm losing myself."

"I know how that feels," I say.

We sit in silence together for several minutes. She isn't inclined to talk about herself and neither am I. She closes her eyes for a few minutes and just lets the breeze blow back her glorious hair. Despite the list of things that she has on her plate; she looks tranquil and at peace with herself. I envy her that.

"How did you lose your parents?" I ask finally.

"My mom died up north in the village where we lived," she says. "There was a scarlet fever epidemic and no one there to take care of the sick people. And it's really difficult for medical assistance to get through in the winter."

"Is that why you want to be a nurse?" I ask her.

She nods.

"Where is your father?" I ask. "I hope you don't mind all my questions. It's just that I'm curious."

"I don't mind," she replies. "But I'm going to want to hear a little about you in exchange. My dad still lives there. But he does a lot of hunting and fishing. He lives a traditional life style. After Mom died, he sent me to live with Grandma Lily and Aunt Tabitha. He thought that it was better that I be raised in the city, you know, to get a good education, have more opportunities."

"Do you miss him? I ask.

"Not as much as I used to," she answers. "But he was never home a lot anyway when Mom was alive. It's hard to make a living up there. I miss the village more. It was like everyone there was family. I've been living down here in Whitehorse for thirteen years now, but I still think of it as home."

"How old are you?"

"I just turned twenty-one," she says. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-three," I say. "I know what you mean about the Rez being home. That's how I still think of La Push."

She looks thoughtful.

"We don't think of the village as a reservation," she comments. "I mean we have our hunting and fishing lands, but we don't think of ourselves as penned in."

"Well, things are different where I'm from," I reply. "We are constantly fighting to hang onto every acre of land that we can. It's difficult. The white men are always thinking up ways to grab little slivers here and there. It really sucks."

"I can imagine," she says sympathetically. "I guess the Canadians don't want our land up here in the middle of nowhere. Unless of course they find oil or some mineral deposits. But we do have good treaties with the Canadian government. A lot of Canadians are concerned about the environment and they know that we are good stewards of the land."

"Do you have any plans for when you graduate?" I ask.

"I'm going back to the village to work in the clinic," she says. "I will have more skills than anyone there now. My grandma and aunt are bugging me to go to school down in BC to become a nurse practitioner or even a doctor. But I want to get back and start to work now."

"But if you look at things in the long term," I say. "Wouldn't it be better to go back with more skills? You could probably do a lot more to treat people if you were a doctor or something."

"That's what Aunt Tabitha says," she answers with a grin. "So you're a long term person too?"

"That's what Sam says," I say.

"Who is Sam?" she asks.

I have to think through my answer carefully.

"Well, my father is the chief through our ancestors of the tribe," I say. "He expects me to stay in La Push for the rest of my life and take care if the tribe so that I can become chief one day like him. Sam is the next in line after me. He is descended from the second line of potential chiefs. My buddy Quil is the third in line.

"Before I left, I stopped in to see Sam and he was trying to figure out some border thing, but all the legal stuff was too hard for him to understand. He's like me. He never went to college. So I told him that. The tribe should pay for one of our really smart kids to go to law school. He said he never even thought of that."

"I don't know if I would have either," she admits. "When I see a problem I want to fix it as quickly as possible, usually by myself. So I guess that I am more like Sam."

"You're like Sam in another way," I say. "You put your tribe first. I'm afraid that I'm not very good at that. That's why I'm hanging out with the Cullens again."

"If you don't want to be chief someday," she asks. "What do you want to do?"

"I honestly don't know," I say. "I mean, my classes at the college are going real well, and I love my job. When he encouraged me to go to the technical college, Carlisle told me that it would never hurt to have a trade under my belt, especially one that could get me a job anywhere.

"I guess that you could say that about my career goal too," she says. "But I know where I want to go. As much as I love my family and all my friends here in a Whitehorse, I still belong to my people in the north. It's a very different life, a much simpler life. That's why my mom took to it so well."

"She didn't go there just because she loved your father?" I ask.

"Well, that was a huge part of it," she says. "But if she couldn't stand living hand to mouth on the outer edges of civilization, the marriage wouldn't have lasted long. It wouldn't have mattered how much they loved each other. I'm pretty sure that Grandma Lily wasn't too happy with her choice, but she didn't try to stop her. She knew that she had to lead her own life."

"Maybe Grandma Lily will talk to my dad," I grumble. "He's being impossible about everything."

"Well, at your age, he can't force you to stay there," she says. "And it's not like you're living a wicked life of drinking, gambling, and women. He should be proud of you for getting yourself a better education."

"He will be," I say. "But only if I come home."

"Does his approval mean so much to you?" she asks.

"Well, I guess that it's about more than just his approval," I reply. "I guess that I feel a pull toward the land too. Kind of like you do, only you have a plan for when you go back. You're all about improving the lives of your people. I just don't really know what I would do if I went back. And something keeps pulling me towards the outside world."

"Do you know what it is?" she asks.

Renesmee, I think to myself as I stare out at the water. But there's no way that I can explain imprinting to Aurora without also telling her that I am a werewolf. And I know that if I tell her about that, she will think that I am crazy and my feelings for Renesmee are creepy. She's such a practical and down-to-earth girl that I don't think that she's ready for that. I decide to turn the subject back to her.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask.

"No," she says. "I really don't have time. I wasn't kidding back at the diner. And besides, I wouldn't want to get involved with someone who might not want to go back to the village with me. Most First Nations people move out of the villages, not back to them. When they get a taste of the white man's world, they don't want to go back."

"It's the same with Native Americans in the US," I say. "But what would happen if you fell in love with a white man?"

She laughs.

"I don't see that happening," she says. "I'm set on my course and I can't see a white man wanting to move out to the bush no matter how much he loved me. That's just not the way it works."

"How what works?" I ask.

"The mixed-race marriages thing," she says. "It seems like it's easier for the natives to fit in with the white culture than vice versa. Not that it is easy for either one. There have been a lot more mixed-race between whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics recently, but a lot of times 'the other' ends up absorbed into the white culture."

"My Dad calls is assimilation," I grimace. "But that's not when he's calling it cultural suicide."

Aurora sighs.

"It's happening all over the world," she says sadly. "All the lovely varieties of smaller native cultures are being subsumed by the dominant culture. It's sad because I think that a lot if humanity's richness is being lost. But that's not my fight."

"What is your fight?" I ask.

"Illness, disease, malnutrition, ignorance of proper health habits," she says. "I can't fix the whole world, so I'm going to settle for making my own small piece of it better."

"I have to admire your focus and strength," I say. "You're a good woman and you're not afraid to stand up for what you believe in."

She blushes and looks away.

"Well, Jacob," she says. "You're a good man. And I hope that you find what you are looking for too."

We shift back into an easy silence. I contemplate the beautiful young woman next to me. I wonder if I didn't feel the pull of Renesmee if she could be more than a friend to me. But then I realize that she is as tied to her own land and people as I am to mine. But it's nice to know that I have found someone who understands what I am talking about.

I regret that I can't tell her the whole truth about myself, but if I do, I know that I will lose the first good, new friend that I've made in a while. She's a great person and I don't have to be afraid that she will want more from me than I can give. She's a real sweet girl and I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings.

_Author's note: I'm sorry that I can't update more frequently, but I am very busy at my job. I try to really polish the chapters before I post them. I hope that you will think that they are worth the wait._


	38. The Birthday Party

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 38: The Birthday Party**

Holy cow! This makes two huge surprises in one day! When I woke up this morning, I was excited because after ballet, I was going to Celine's house for a play date. I didn't think at all about the fact that Madame was casting _The Nutcracker_ today. Esme drove me into town and dropped me off at the studio with my note that said that Mrs. Bouchard could drive me to her house after class.

After we had a short two-hour class, Madame made all of us sit on the floor and listen while she explained again the casting of the ballet. I wasn't really listening, because I already knew that I was going to be in the party scene and be a Chinese Tea dancer.

Madame had held auditions last week for Clara; but I didn't even try. Becca, Emma, and Celine tried to convince me to, but I didn't see the point. It was my first year at the school and I thought that I didn't know enough about dancing to play such an important part. No matter what they said, I wouldn't get up and do it. I wasn't the only one though. There were a couple of other twelves who didn't want to either.

We sat and listened as she told the five and unders that they would be angels. The sixes would be clowns with Mother Gignogne, etc. Things started to get interesting when she began to announce the elevens because they were the mice in the first act that would battle the wooden soldiers who were danced by the thirteens.

Then in the second act, they got to dance the Danish marzipan dance. Clara's journey through the Land of Sweets was like like a trip around the world. Celine had been a mouse last year and told me that it was a lot of fun to roll all over the stage, but that the costume was very hot.

Celine's mother had taken pictures of all of her _Nutcracker _recitals since she was three years old. I noticed that every year the costumes were the same, but Celine explained that they were very expensive, with all of the velvet and tulle. Each year, the mothers volunteered measure the girls and sew the alterations. When Esme heard that, she immediately volunteered. The mouse costumes were very cute, but full of thick padding to make them look roly-poly.

The costumes for the party scene were very rich looking, full of lace and velvet. The Chinese costumes for the Tea dance were very delicate looking. All of the costumes were very pretty, but my favorite costumes were for the Dew Drops. Each girl wore a gauzy, pastel colored tutu with matching leotard.

They were all different colors. I couldn't wait for next year when I would get to be a Dew Drop and a wooden soldier. Because that was the first year point class, a part of the Dew Drop dance was done on pointe. I hoped that my feet would finish growing so I could begin next year.

At fifteen there was the Trepak, the Russian dance, to look forward to. The sixteens and seventeens danced the Coffee dance, the Arabians. They get to wear harem pants over their leotards and dance with lovely flowing scarves. It was all terribly exciting. There were two years together because the older girls played most of the main parts.

Celine had even showed me the video of last year's performance, when she was a mouse with Emma and Becca. I recognized the little girl who played Clara as a beautiful First Nations girl named, Shalayne, who Madame called her "little Tallchief," because she resembled the first Native American dancer, Maria Tallchief.*

All the girls in the studio over the age of ten remembered when the famous prima ballerina had come to visit the studio and taught a master class and talked to the girls. She was very gracious and encouraging. She spoke to each girl individually about how lucky she was to have a teacher such as Madame.

Celine even had a photograph of herself with her in her bedroom. She was only five at the time, but she said that she would never forget her. I was sorry to learn that Maria Tallchief had passed away several years ago so I would never get to meet her.

I started to pay attention when Madame announced that Shalayne would play the Mouse King is the battle of the mice and the wooden soldiers. I sat patiently as Madame announced that the twelves would dance in the party scene and the Tea Dance.

She then announced that Celine and another girl Amber, from one of the other elementary schools would be the "featured" dancers. I was disappointed for Celine, because I knew that she had hoped for Clara. But she smiled and clapped with everyone else for her part. And she threw a kiss over to Amber who smiled and waved.

"There's still hope for Becca and Emma," she whispered to me.

But I was doubtful of that because Celine was a better dancer than either of them. And I was so busy thinking about that, that I didn't even hear the name for Clara announced. All I knew was that Celine was almost choking me and all the other twelve-year old girls were cheering and trying to hug me. I didn't understand.

Why would Madame choose me? I hadn't even tried out. What about all of the other little girls who had been dancing there for eight years like Celine? In addition to never having had a dance class before in my life before I came here, I had not even paid my dues yet. And were all the other girls really happy for me, or were they just being polite? Suppose some of them were very disappointed? Then they wouldn't like me anymore.

We listened while Madame read off the names of the other dancers and then explained that several professional male dancers would be coming in from Vancouver to the dance the part of the Cavalier and other lead roles. And then she was done and said that we could leave.

The other twelves surrounded me now, very excited about our roles in the ballet. Celine looked happier than she had after it had been announced that she was a featured dancer. I was bewildered. Why was everyone so happy for me?

"Congratulations, Renesmee!" said Amber, kissing both of my cheeks. "The part couldn't have gone to a nicer girl."

"I'm sorry," I answered uncertainly. "Madame must have made a mistake. I didn't even try out for the part."

"You didn't have to," she said. "And you don't have to apologize. The part of Clara is actually more about acting than dancing. You have to be happy when you get the Nutcracker, and then sad in the party scene after he is broken by Fritz. Then you have to be 'wide-eyed with wonder,' as Madame says when you travel through the Land of Sweets with the Sugar Plum Fairy. You are perfect."

"But I just got here," I replied. "It isn't fair to the rest of you. You all must have been looking forward to this for so long."

"There are still a lot more years of parts for us to get," said Morgan, another girl from another school. "But this part is perfect for you because you _are_ the new girl in town. And you are so nice too. We all heard about the detention that you got for trying to help a couple of girls in your class."

"How did you hear about that?" I asked, looking at Celine, Becca, and Emma.

"They didn't tell," answered Amber, following my gaze. "My older brother heard about it at the diner.

I turned scarlet red. I was mortified to think that everyone in town knew about he fact that I got in trouble.

"It's not a bad thing," Becca assured me. "Everyone is only talking about you in the nicest way. And like Morgan said, don't worry about us. We are all very happy for you."

Then, Madame came over to kiss both of my cheeks.

"Ah! Ma petite Renesmee!" she said. "You will be such a beautiful Clara! But why do you look so sad?"

"She's afraid that you should have given the part to someone else," answered Celine for me. "Because she only just started."

"I would never make a mistake like that," said Madame. "You are the perfect actress for her. And your friend Emma told me how you got the undeserved detention and then switched the day so that you would not have to miss class. Besides, ever since you have come to my school, you have danced with wide-eyed wonder and joy. And, see? The other girls are happy for you."

I looked nervously at Celine, who put her arm around me.

"I am sure that Renesmee is simply overwhelmed," she said. "And she is very shy, you know."

"Not when she wants to take care of other people," observed Amber.

But then I noticed that the mothers were coming to pick up their daughters from the class. The whole school had been present today for the morning classes. Saturday was the _Nutcracker _rehearsal day. Madame made sure that every girl was in it. Next week, the rehearsals would start for it. The older girls were looking forward to their last free afternoon until December.

Mrs. Bouchard came over to us eagerly. When Celine told her about our parts, her wide smile flickered a little bit when she heard that Celine did not get Clara, but beamed brightly when she heard that _I _was Clara.

"You are perfect, Renesmee!" she said. "You must call your mother as soon as we get to the house to tell her."

Celine giggled at that and for some reason, her Mama gave her a sharp look. It was with great relief that we finally left the studio and drive to her house. I was relieved to get away from everyone.

Even though I was looking forward to my play date, I was wishing just a tiny bit that I could go home and think about my exciting morning. But the minute that Mrs. Bouchard opened the door and we stepped into the living room, I forgot all about going home.

"Surprise! Surprise!" shouted a room full of little girls. "Happy Birthday, Renesmee!"

I am stunned once again. How can anyone have _two_ such wonderful surprises in the same day! I hadn't even hoped for a birthday party other than a family party. We were still too new to Whitehorse and we were still pretending that the house wasn't ready for visitors. But instead, I was getting a surprise party at Celine's house. I would never have dreamed of such a thing in a million years.

I take a quick look around the room and see that every girl from my class in school is there, including Terah and Misty. Then I begin to smile so much that I think that my face will break. Standing behind the girls in the back are Momma, Daddy, and Esme! I will get to share my special news with them right away. I want to rush over and jump into my Momma's arms, but I know that I can't.

"So are you surprised?" asks Julie.

"Very much," I say, still feeling a little awed. "I never dreamed that I would ever have such a party!"

"It was Mama's idea," says Celine. "Because your Mom didn't have the house ready yet. And Mama loves to throw parties.

"This party is the most beautiful that I have ever seen," I reply, looking at all the balloons and other decorations.

"Mom," I say the Esme, as I walk back to my family. "I have big news. Madame picked me to be Clara in _The Nutcracker."_

"She did?" says Esme in surprise as she gives me a hug.

I look over her shoulder and Daddy winks at me. Of course he knew! He must have read it in Emma and Becca's thoughts when they came in. But he didn't tell Momma or Esme. Momma is giving him one of her looks that says that she wishes he had told her. But I see him telling her very quickly and quietly that he didn't want to spoil _my _surprise for her.

"Congratulations, Renesmee," she says softly as I walk over for hug.

"Thank you, Sissy," I say, as she holds me in her arms.

"Good job, squirt!" says Daddy, cheerfully, pretending that I am his little sister.

I frown at the nickname. He knows that I don't like it, but it is part of the game.

"Thanks, _Eddy_," I answer, using the nickname for him that I know he hates.

"Come on, Renesmee!" says Celine. "I'm _starving! _You can talk to your family at home. This is _our _time with you."

I like the way that her words sound. It is as if I really am special to them. We go into the kitchen, where a party table has been set up with a tablecloth and funny hats.

"This is your place," announces Celine, pointing to a chair at the head of the table. "The birthday girl always wears a crown."

I giggle as she puts the crown on my head. The she takes the seat on my right side, and tells the other girls where to sit. I am happy that Terah is sitting on my left. Momma told me all about the scary thing that happened with their mean old neighbor. I have been trying to be especially nice to her, but it isn't easy because she is even shyer than I am.

Lunch is pizza that Mrs. Bouchard ordered from the local pizzeria. There is also a large tray of salad. It looks good because it has all kinds of great vegetables and cheese in it. Most of the girls don't want it.

"I feel so bad for you, Renesmee," says Becca. "I can't imagine what it would be like to live without pizza and all of the other great food that you can't eat."

"I don't mind," I say. "You can't miss what you've never had. And besides, having a tummy ache is no fun."

Of course, Momma, Daddy, and Esme don't eat either. It would be too difficult for them to pretend in such a small space where everyone can watch more closely. Esme explains that they had a huge Saturday brunch and that we will be having our own small party when we get home.

"It's no wonder that you are all so slender," comments Julie, who is prone tone a little chubby. "Your sister looks like she could be a fashion model."

"So does your brother," giggles Astrid. "My sister says that half the girls in the high school are in love with him. They are all jealous because he is taking his sister to the Sadie Hawkins. They all wanted to ask him."

"It's the only way that I could get her to go," answers Daddy playfully. "She was afraid to ask any of the other boys who would have said yes."

I laugh at Momma's face. Kai and Jed had both hoped that she would ask them. And the infamous Pauline had asked Daddy. All three of them had been disappointed when they found out that they were going together. Daddy sees her face too and ruffles her hair.

"It's okay, Sissy," he says gently, using my nickname for her. "I'll protect you from all the boys who are chasing after you."

"Thanks a lot," she says, quickly and sarcastically under her breath.

Then I realize that Terah has been staring at her. I thought that it was because she was so beautiful, but then Daddy gives me a small nod. He knows what she is thinking and wants me to give her an opening to talk.

"Terah," I say casually. "I think that Bella knows your sister Maggie at the high school."

Terah just nods shyly.

"Maggie is my lab partner," says Bella to her. "She's a very nice girl."

"So are you," she says with a little smile. "Thank you for helping her when she was sad."

But our conversation is cut off by Mrs. Bouchard.

"It's time for the cake!" she announces. "Let's clean up!"

Quick as a wink, all of the lunch things are swooped off the table. Then Esme closes the lights and Mrs. Bouchard comes in with a beautiful birthday cake with thirteen candles. Everyone sings the birthday song and then clap as I blow the candles out. The lights go on again.

"Why are there thirteen candles?" I ask.

"That's twelve for your age and one to grown on," says Mrs. Bouchard.

I giggle because if that is true, then there should be eight candles on the cake. Daddy looks at me and shakes his head a little.

"Now before you make the first cut," says Mrs. Bouchard handing me the knife. "But first, you must blur out your name with the knife for good luck."

I hate to even touch the cake because it is so beautiful. The frosting is white and it is covered with pink roses. In delicate pink cursive writing it says "Happy Birthday Renesmee." I can't eat any of course, but I know that my friends will enjoy it. Esme takes a picture before I cut it. She has been taking pictures all afternoon long.

"Alice and Rosalie will never forgive me if I don't," she says.

"Are they Renesmee's other sisters?" asks Emma.

"Yes," she says. "We are a very close family and the children are all very interested in everything that all the others do."

"That's nice," says Julie. "I have two brothers and they couldn't care less what I do. I wish I had a brother like Edward."

"So do I," says Evie, giggling. "Then all the girls would want to be friends with me."

"But then you wouldn't know who your real friends were," objects Misty.

"Sure I would," she laughs. "They would be the ones who still wanted to be my friends even after they found out that he was going to the dance with his sister. That's a very nice thing to do. I can see where Renesmee gets her nice genes from. Were you parents nice like you?"

"My parents _are_ nice," I correct her.

Everyone looks at me.

"What?"

"Well, um, aren't your parents, um, passed away?" she asks hesitantly.

I think for a minute and then remember that my parents are supposed to be Daddy's parents. But then again, they are also supposed to be dead.

"I don't know my other parents," I say slowly. "The only parents that I know are Carlisle and Esme."

"Of course," says Celine looking at Esme. "Well then I guess you are nice because your parents taught you to be."

"That sounds right," says Daddy. "I really don't remember our biological parents either. They died a long time ago. Renesmee was only two."

"Let's open the presents!" says Mrs. Bouchard brightly, obviously trying to get off the morbid topic.

So while the other girls eat cake, I open the gifts. I remember that each girl is waiting to see my reaction to her gift. So I get ready to like them all. But I don't even have to pretend. Each present is lovely and special because I know that it was picked out for me.

Emma gives me the book _Little Women _because she knows that I have four older sisters. Celine gives me a lovely music box with a ballerina on top that plays a bit from Tchaikovsky's _Sleeping Beauty's __pas de deux_. Every girl gives me something special. And because I have never had such a party before, I treasure each gift especially.

After the cake is finished, Mrs. Bouchard and Esme sweep away the trash again and then set out trays of beads and slender but sturdy cords.

"You are too old really for party games," says Mrs. Bouchard. "So you can make necklaces and bracelets for yourselves."

Then they leave us in the room by ourselves and go into the living room to talk. This leaves us free to talk about whatever we want. For a few minutes we are quiet as we each organize our ideas for stringing the beads. Then the chatter begins again.

"It's nice to be able to talk to each other in English for once," says Becca. "We even have to speak French at ballet."

"Why is that?" asks Misty.

"Because French is the language of ballet," says Emma, imitating Madame's voice. "But I can't wait for rehearsals to start. I wonder what Madame will do for the Chinese dance this year."

"Won't it be the same as last year?" I ask.

"No," says Celine. "Each year the choreography changes. If it was the same every year then no one would go except for the families of the girls. But everyone in town goes at one time or another to see what she is doing this year. That's why there are five performances. They fill up the high school auditorium for each one."

"It's also the closest _Nutcracker _to be found until you get to Fairbanks," comments Becca. "People come from all over the Yukon. For a lot of them it's a tradition to come to the city and do their Christmas shopping at the same time. That's one of the reasons why all the merchants support Madame by taking out ads in the program. She is good for business."

"So I'm going to have to perform in front of a lot of people," I say nervously.

"Don't be scared," says Celine. "You are going to be in a beautiful story. When you are in the middle of it, it's easy to forget that the audience is there. The lights are so bright that you can't really see beyond them anyway. If you were dancing in one of our dances it would be harder because you feel more like you are performing. And the party scene feels like you are at a party."

"I wonder which color dress Madame will pick for you," remarks Becca. "She always tried to find something to match your hair. Last year Shalayne wore the bright red dress. It looked amazing with her long black hair."

"Which is very straight," says Emma. "Renesmee's curly red hair is very different."

"I don't think that Renesmee's hair is really red," says Astrid. "I think that it's more like auburn. After all, there is some red in it, but it's mostly dark brown. You look a whole lot like your brother."

"I think that Renesmee would look pretty in the green dress," says Celine thoughtfully. "But not the bright green, the dark hunter green. You're lucky, Renesmee. You won't have to spend intermission getting your hair pinned up into a top bun for the Tea dance."

"Who will play Fritz?" I ask suddenly.

"It's usually someone's brother," answers Becca. "That's where they get all the little boys from, And the parents play adults in the party scene. I bet that Madame is going to try to get your Mom and Dad to play your parents. She always does that."

"What of they say no?" I ask, wondering if Carlisle and Esme would even do such a thing.

"No body _ever_ says no to Madame," giggles Becca.

"Bella did," I say without thinking.

"How did she do that?" asks Celine amazed by my revelation.

"Madame wanted her to come to dance school with me," I explain quickly. "But she was scared to death. So Mom told her to leave her alone. Bella was just too shy."

"I think she's shy," says Emma. "She hasn't said two words all afternoon. Your Mom and Edward do all the talking."

"What about Herr Drosselmeyer?" I ask, to change the subject from my family before I make any more mistakes.

"There is a retired actor in town named Henry Siefert," replies Celine. "He also does magic tricks. He always plays Herr Drosselmeyer. He is a lot of fun. While the dancers are waiting to go on backstage during the second act, he entertains them."

"If you want," says Julie changing the subject. "You can bring cupcakes to school to have during recess. We can sing Happy Birthday to you again."

"Do the other children do that?" I ask.

"Oh yes," says Astrid. "They do it in our school too. It's lots of fun for the whole class."

When I hear that, I decide that I want to do it. Anything that makes things fun for the whole class sounds like a good idea to me. My class has been very nice to me since Mme. Beauclair was so mean. They even wanted to get up a petition to give to the principal to get me out of detention. Thankfully, Mlle. Charles stopped them. I didn't need any more trouble from Mme. Beauclair. Then I remember something.

"It's my Sissy's birthday on Monday," I say. "But I don't think that they bring cupcakes to high school."

The other girls laugh.

"Sometimes the kids' friends do things at lunch," says Kendra who has a sister who is a junior. "You know, they sing happy birthday and bring in brownies and cookies. They aren't allowed to have candles. It's against the rules to have fire in school."

"That makes sense," I say. "But I'm sure that Sissy won't be expecting anything. I don't think that she told anyone. It's the kind of thing that Alice would do for her, but she probably doesn't know about it."

"Then you should tell her," says Celine.

"Yes, and then Sissy won't talk to me for a week," I grimace. "Alice tends to go overboard with these kinds of things."

All the other girls laugh, but I notice that Terah looks thoughtful. But if she tells Maggie and Maggie bakes something, I don't think that Momma will mind. She is like me and she won't want to spoil Maggie's pleasure. Besides I am sure that Daddy is listening to our conversation right now and will tell her what Terah is thinking.

We spend the rest of the afternoon talking about school and other things to look forward to during the school year. There will be a Christmas concert at the high school and as treat, all the seventh graders in the elementary schools in the city are invited to perform as a huge chorus. It is another thing for me to look forward to.

And there is always a play at our school at the end of the year that the seventh graders act in. The girls all speculate about what it will be this year. Last year it was Cinderella. It was then that I learned that Shalayne used to go to our school and she played Cinderella.

"They were very disappointed at the high school when her parents decided to send her to Catholic school for eighth grade," says Kendra who seems to know about these things. "They are hoping that she will get a scholarship to go to a boarding school like Concord or Milton near Boston in the United States. They want her to be close to a city with performing opportunities, but they think that New York is too big."

"Why do they think that she can get a scholarship?" asks Celine.

"Because these schools are always looking to improve their diversity profiles, yoy know, and she is First Nations, very diverse," she replies. "They took her to visit the schools over the summer."

"I wouldn't want to go to boarding school," says Celine. "I wouldn't want to be so far from my Mama. Madame is also going to be disappointed. Shalayne is the best dancer among the thirteens."

"Maybe she won't go," says Emma hopefully.

"Maybe," replies Kendra doubtfully. "I think that her mom is pretty set on it."

Before I know it, it's four o'clock and time for everyone to go home. I stand at the door as each girl leaves (except Celine) and thank her for coming. When everyone is gone, I turn around and give Celine and her mother big hugs.

"Thank you so much!" I say, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes. "This is the most beautiful birthday party that anyone could have."

"I'm sure that your mom will do just as good a job next year," says Mrs. Bouchard.

Daddy carries out my gifts in a shopping bag that Mrs. Bouchard gave him. As we are driving home, Momma asks me what my favorite part was. I think about it for a minute.

"I had two favorite parts," I answer. "The first one was when I walked in the door because I have never had such a surprise in my life. The second was when they all sang Happy Birthday to me."

"Well, we will all do that later," says Esme. "Jacob is coming over and we will have a family party with him."

"May you drop me off at the cabin on our way home, please?" I ask. "I want to tell Jacob all about my day."

"Sure, honey," says Esme.

But when we drive by the cabin, the truck is gone. It isn't out in front of the house or in the garage. Where is Jacob?

"It looks like Jacob went out for the day," comments Daddy.

"He didn't say anything about going out last night," I reply puzzled.

"Maybe he decided to go out when he got up this morning," suggests Momma. "You did tell him that you were going out all day. Maybe he didn't want to sit home all by himself."

"Sure," I say. "But he doesn't have any friends here."

"He could have met up with some of the guys from school," says Daddy. "I'm sure he's fine. You don't want him to sit around waiting for you all day, do you?"

I am sure that he's fine too. It's just that I'm not used to Jacob not being around when I am looking for him. He's always there whenever I want him.

"Don't worry about it, dear," says Momma. "I am sure that he will be at the house in a couple of hours for your party."

I know that he will be too. It is just weird that he isn't here for me now.

_*Author's note: I fudged the dates of Maria Tallchief's passing in order to include this bit in the story. She passed away in 2013. I met Miss Tallchief seventeen years ago when she came to teach a master class to the dancers at the school where I was teaching at the time. She was a charming woman and very enthusiastic about encouraging talented young dancers to continue. She is very much missed in the dance world._


	39. Index of Original Characters

**A New a World Full of Strangers**

**Original Characters**

_**Author's Note:**__ Jessica made a good point that there are so many original characters in this story that you can't tell the players without a scorecard. Of course the title of the story is "A New World Full of Strangers." I had actually written out a list for myself yesterday because I was having trouble keeping track of them. Here is my first attempt at an index. I will update as necessary._

_**Characters that you will see again:**_

_**Adults:**_

_Lily and Tabitha: The mother and daughter team who run the Trading Post where Esme likes to shop for furnishings for the house._

_Aurora Silver Fox: Motherless granddaughter of Lily who helps at the Trading Post. She works at the hospital as an orderly and is attending Yukon College to earn her practical nursing certificate. She hopes to return to her village in the north to provide basic health care. She has become Jacob's friend._

_Waitress Mary: Sharp-tongued hard core waitress at the local diner. She knows everything about everyone in town. One of these people who always says exactly what she means._

_Old Joe: A diner regular who has befriended Jacob and is full of unsolicited advice and gossip. _

_Celine Bouchard: Renesmee's school buddy and best friend. She also takes dance lessons with her._

_Sylvie Bouchard: Celine's overprotective mother, who is another local gossip._

_Mrs. Miller: Renesmee's sympathetic guidance counselor_

_Mlle. Charles: Renesmee's super-nice classroom teacher_

_Mme. Beauclair: The toughest teacher at Renesmee's school_

_Madame Olga (also known as Madame): Renesmee's ballet teacher. She is of Russian origin and runs a very traditional school. She would love to have Bella as a student_

_Mr. Griffin: principal at the high school_

_**Renesmee's classmates:**_

_Emma and Becca: two other dancers_

_Julie, Astrid, Evie, Kendra, and Misty_

_Terah Stone: younger sister of Maggie Stone, a friend of Bella's._

_Terah and Misty were the last two girls in the class to be brought into the circle if friends due to Renesmee's influence._

_**Dance friends:**_

_Amber and Morgan: two dancers in Renesmee's class who go to another school in town_

_Shalayne: very talented dancer a year older than Renesmee_

_**Kids at the high school:**_

_Maggie: Bella's lab partner and older sister of Terah. The Cullens help her family out of a tough spot because their mother died and their father is working the graveyard shift._

_Jed and Kai: Bella's two followers who are competing to see which one can impress her the most._

_Marcie: Head cheerleader with a crush on Emmett._

_Pauline: Edward's lab partner who has a crush on him and is becoming jealous of Bella. _

_Tim Ryan: Football player and straight arrow-type who want to date Bella_

_**I think that's everyone.**__ If I missed someone, tell me and I will add him/her to the list. Some that were not included were given cameos._

_From now on, I am going to switch the point of views between Bella, Edward, Jacob, and _

_Renesmee. Occasionally, I may go to Carlisle to get a more analytical point of view. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me as I set the stage for the drama. _

_Some of you have had some excellent comments about inconsistencies in the story. I do plan to go back and rework some of the earlier chapters, but not until spring break next week and when my wrist is better. _


	40. Jealous

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 39: Jealous**

The birthday party was everything that Bella and I had hoped that it would be for Renesmee. It was the just the sign that we needed to know that we had made the right decision when we agreed to move to Whitehorse. It was the first time that we had had the opportunity to see her interact with girls her own "age" and it was good to know that in spite of the fact that she had had a most unusual upbringing, she was still able to fit in.

When we returned home from Celine's house she had another, this time not so pleasant, surprise. Naturally, she wanted to visit Jacob and tell him all about her wonderful day. In fact her mind was brimming with all the little details that she wanted to share. But when we got to the cabin, he wasn't there.

"He's probably just hanging out with some friends," I suggested.

"But, Daddy," said Renesmee. "He doesn't have any friends but us."

It took all of my restraint not to mention the fact that he did have a few acquaintances from school and work that he knew well enough to hang out with. He had not been happy the other day when she told him that she would be hanging out with Celine this afternoon.

Even though he knew nothing about the party, I still thought that it was a little presumptuous of him to think that spending time with a girlfriend was an infringement of his time with her. Now I felt like I was looking at the situation in reverse, with Renesmee thinking that he should have been waiting for her when she got home.

She was a little sulky when we entered the house, practically blowing off Rosalie, who asked her about the party. Bella followed her to her room, carrying the gift bag and intending to talk to her about her attitude. Rosalie and I sit down to talk about it.

"Didn't she have fun at the party?" asks Rosalie.

"She had a great time," I reply. "And she was very happy to find out that she was cast as Clara in _The Nutcracker._ No, she was very happy until she got home and found out that Jacob wasn't here."

"So? Did she think that he was going to sit around here all day waiting for her to get back?" she asks. "I think it's better for both of them if he makes a few of his own friends. You know, he should develop some relationships with guys his own age."

"And girls," I add.

"That's really not what I mean," she says rolling her eyes. "Give me a little credit, okay?

"Jacob has spent the last seven years or more running around with his pack of mutts," she explains. "He's used to being around all of that testosterone or whatever male hormone it is that dogs have. He must miss it. She has her girlfriends and he should have his guy friends. That's how it works, right?"

"I had no idea that you were so insightful," I say suspiciously.

"Okay," she admits. "It was Jasper's idea. He understands these things a lot better than I do obviously. But I do agree with him. And you know, I don't know a lot about this whole imprinting thing, but it isn't normal that they are so territorial about each other."

"Just like you and Emmett are territorial about each other?" I ask.

"Not to the exclusion of the rest of the family," she says defensively.

I sigh.

"Look, Rosalie," I say. "I know that for once you really do mean well, but I think that sometimes we all spend too much time trying to psychoanalyze something that doesn't make sense to us. In fact, Jacob doesn't completely understand it himself. And Renesmee understands it even less."

"All the more reason for us not to let it get too intense," she responds.

"I'm with you up to a point," I reply. "But I know enough about it to know that Jacob is not going to let things get out of hand the way you are thinking they might. And he and Renesmee have an added burden."

"What is that?" she asks.

"From the outside, if any of the humans learn that they have this special friendship," I explain. "The folks around here could begin to think that he is some creepy pedophile, which he most certainly is not. His primary relationship with her, regardless of her age, is based on his instinctual need to protect her and make sure that she is happy. But, if anyone misinterprets this, then we are going to have to disappear pretty quickly."

"Why is that?" she asks.

"Because the conclusions that people could draw would infer that we are enabling this relationship between a child and a man," I say patiently. "Do you get it now?"

"Yes, I do," she says. "And I don't want to leave here so quickly. I like it here. We get to live somewhat normally. School isn't as bad as it usually is and the town is nice. I am enjoying watching Renesmee get to be a normal girl with friends, as opposed to a little hermit living out in the woods."

"Well, she wasn't exactly a hermit," I reply. "But I understand what you are saying. As her father, I like seeing her hang out with other kids and talk about all of that goofy pre-teen stuff. And the other girls really like her. While Esme and Sylvie were chatting as the kids were hanging out together, I was listening to the thoughts of the other girls.

"None of them are the least bit suspicious that Renesmee is not like them, just a little sheltered and overly protected. She is very kind and generous to all of them. And she never says an unkind or mean word about anyone in the class. This is very unusual. I hate to say it, but it's very different from the rest of us in high school."

"What does she think when we start ragging on the other kids?" she asks curiously. "Or when we play tricks on each other?"

"She thinks it's funny," I say. "But she also attributes it to the fact that we have gone to high school so many times. She thinks that in addition to being bored, we have also grown cynical. And that is true."

"Renesmee is going to take a little nap before her party," says Bella coming in the great room. "She's rather pooped from her exciting day."

"I can imagine," says Rosalie. "She's never had a day like this before, has she?"

"Never," says Bella. "And she is a bit overwhelmed by all of the positive attention that she is getting in the human world. I don't think that she was expecting it."

"She wasn't," I say bluntly. "We did such a good job of preparing her for feeling like an outsider that we never mentioned that there could be different issues if she was completely accepted. What has always been impossible for us, is possible for her. And it carries its own challenges."

"Like what?" asks Rosalie.

"One of the girls asked her if her parents were nice like her," replies Bella. "And she said that her parents are nice. She was confused until she remembered that her biological parents were supposed to be dead, hence the past tense. But she covered that up by saying that Esme and Carlisle are the only parents that she has ever known. And of course everyone in town knows how nice they are."

"Well, that is really splitting hairs, don't you think?" asks Rosalie. "I mean the story has always been that she has no memory of her biological parents."

"Well, yes and no," I say. "Kids at that age are very literal-minded. And they all know or know of Esme and Carlisle is that both of them are very kind. It's not really that big of a deal."

"Well, one thing that is going to get complicated is the sleepover thing," says Bella. "Sooner or later she will begin to receive invitations to spend the night at the other girls' houses. Now I can't really see us reciprocating those invitations too easily."

"That is a tough one," acknowledges Rosalie. "Any girl visiting the house will expect a tour. But we don't want to have to explain the rooming situation. Or why there are large parts of the house off limits."

"Well, we still have another six weeks to so to think about it," says Bella. "To be honest, I never went to too many sleepovers when I was her age. And part of the reason was that I didn't want any of my few friends to know how crazy Carla really was."

"Well, that won't work for Renesmee," says Rosalie. "But if we had a friend or two come over, we could set them up in the spare room in Esme and Carlisle's section. We could even make the room look like a girl's bedroom. That part will be fun. We might even let Alice do some of the decorating that you wouldn't let her do before on Renesmee's real bedroom.

"As for the rest of us, we can go hunting and then play at the boys having one side if the house and the girls the other. And they don't need to get a tour of the _entire _house. As teenagers we can claim privacy. We will also have to pretend to go to bed. I know that it's new for you, Bella, but for the rest of us it's just another version of the old human charade."

"Good thinking, Rosalie," I reply. "Oh, I hear Jacob coming in now. He's driving up the driveway."

"What is he thinking about?" asks Rosalie.

I think about it for a minute.

"I would rather hear what he wants to tell us," I answer. "And we won't have to wait long. He's coming up to the front door now."

Rather than just burst in the way he used to in Forks, Jacob knocks and the door as he enters at a leisurely pace.

"Hey there!" he calls out. "Is the birthday girl at home?"

"Try to keep your voice down," says Bella with a touch of annoyance in her voice. "The birthday girl just had a very exciting day and is napping before the festivities tonight."

"Oh," he says, a little abashed by Bella's motherly authority in her voice. "So did she have fun hanging out with the other teenie bopper?"

"It was wonderful," she replies. "But I will let her tell you all about it."

"And Madame was casting _The Nutcracker _today too, wasn't she?" he continues. "Did she get anything good?"

"Once again," she says patiently. "She wants to tell you herself. I don't want to spoil her pleasure by telling you ahead of time. She was a little overtired when we got back and she was rather disappointed that you weren't here waiting for her."

Keeping my face as neutral as possible, I listen to his thoughts.

_She was disappointed that I wasn't here? That's good. It means that she missed me. And here I was afraid that she was forgetting all about me. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't read too much into it when she says that she wants to do things with her friends._

_And I do know about the surprise party. She must have loved that. I really shouldn't hang over her too much anyway, I guess. And I can see how she would want to tell me about playing Clara herself. I won't mess that up for her by telling her that I heard already about it at the diner._

"So what did you do with your afternoon?" asks Rosalie pleasantly.

Jacob's eyebrows shoot up.

"Since when have you decided to be civil?" he asks.

"It's Renesmee's birthday," she says smoothly. "And I don't want anything to spoil it for her, not even a spat with you."

"Oh," he says uncertainly.

_This is weird. Since when does Blondie care about what Renesmee thinks of our bickering? I wonder if something isn't wrong and that why she's acting so nice._

"So what did you do, Jacob?" asks Bella.

"Oh, I just went up to town to the diner for lunch," he says casually. "You know, I hung out with my homies Mary and old Joe."

"I'm sure they would be thrilled to be called your homies," I comment. "Did you run into anyone else?"

He makes a face at me because he knows that I have read his mind and that if he doesn't tell us that he spent the afternoon with Aurora, then I will.

"I saw Aurora," he answers. "You know, she goes to the college too. We talked for a bit and then went out of town to check out the scenery. You know, it's good to get a little perspective on things."

"I didn't realize that you knew Aurora," comments Rosalie.

_Good, now maybe he will develop an interest in someone closer to his own age. She's even a Native American like he is. And she's gorgeous. I'm sure that they are just friends._

"Oh, yeah," he says. "I've run into her at the diner before, and at college. She has been very good about helping me get settled and meeting some of the other younger folks around town. She's just a friend."

_Too bad, _thinks Rosalie.

"She reminds me of you in some ways," remarks Bella. "She is very much about putting a career in place for herself so that she can go back to her village help provide better health care. You're a protector of your people; and in her own way, she's a protector of hers."

"Yeah, she told me about that," he says with a sigh. "She's pretty set on her goals in life. She's lucky. She's found a path that she wants to follow and has no trouble doing it. I mean, her grandmother and aunt are still all over her to be an RN or a doctor, but she just wants to get back and help."

_I wonder what the sigh was all about, _thinks Rosalie. _Is he sorry that she's so set on going back to her village? That's too bad. It would be a great solution for all of us if he would marry her and take her back to La Push. It's not like they don't need health care on the reservation._

I am amused by her thoughts. Little does she know that Jacob is pretty happy that Aurora is so set on returning to her people. He was afraid that she might be too interested in him, but she even told him today that she's not even looking at men until she's done with school and back home. He likes having her as a friend because she understands him, but he doesn't want anything more. After all, he can't see anyone but Rensesmee.

I would never tell Rosalie, but the sigh was about how jealous he was that Aurora _has _a path that she's following. I'm glad that he's found her because it means that he will have someone who understands his cultural heritage to talk to. The imprint is too strong a thing for him to fight.

He may be nervous about how Renesmee feels about him, but he still wants her to be happy as much as ever before. And he can't imagine his life without her. The fact that Aurora doesn't have the kind of restrictions on her choices that he does, makes him a little sad. But he does not quite know how to explain it to her.

_It was really nice spending the afternoon with her, just talking about stuff like normal friends. It was kind of like in the early days with Bella before I had a crush on her. But how can I have a true friendship with her? It's not every day that some guy you think is normal says, and by the way I'm a werewolf._

_I mean she's so cool that I'm sure that she would understand, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone outside about it. Of course, Sam and the guys are so far away that they wouldn't know that I told her unless I phased. I know that sooner or later I'm going to have to or I will start to age. But man, it's nice being human like this all time._

"Jacob!" cries Renesmee, from the doorway. "You're home!"

"You betcha, birthday girl!" he says. "So how many candles will it be tonight? Will there be seven or twelve?"

"It doesn't matter," she shrugs. "I'm just glad that you're here so that I can finally tell you about my amazing day!"

"What happened?" he asks.

"Well, first of all," she begins. "Madame picked me to play Clara in _The Nutcracker, _even though I just started. And none of the other girls were even jealous."

"Why would they be?" he says indulgently. "Of course you were the best choice."

"You always say stuff like that, Jacob," she replies. "You think that I'm like, perfect or something."

"You are perfect," he says tenderly.

_Oh, if I could puke, I would, _Rosalie thinks. _Sometimes I think that she could burn down the house and he would stand there applauding while the rest of us tried to put out to fire._

I give her a questioning look, but she just grins back at me.

_I said that I was going to act nice. But I can think whatever the hell I want._

I roll my eyes and can see Bella looking at us. Talk about jealous! Bella is jealous every time I have one if these silent conversations with one of the other members of the family.

"So what else did you do?" he asks. "Did you have fun hanging out at Celine's house?"

"I had a blast!" she answers laughing. "And we didn't just hang out! They had a surprise party for me and it was the best time! All my friends from my class were there. Mrs. Bouchard invited all of them, even Terah and Misty."

"That's great!" he says, really thinking that it is great because she is so happy.

"So what did you do with your day?" she asks.

_And why weren't you here when I got home?_

I repress a chuckle.

"Oh, I just went to the diner for lunch," he says. "You know, I hung out with Mary and Joe for a while. Then Aurora came in and we took a drive out of town to get away for a while."

_See, Edward, I told her myself. You don't have to say anything else about it._

"I didn't know that you knew Aurora," she says slowly.

_Why didn't he tell me that he knew Aurora? I thought that he told me everything._

"Oh, I know her from school," he says. "We're good buddies. She helped me figure some stuff out at the beginning of the year."

_Why did he have to go to her for help? Why didn't he ask me? Or if I couldn't help him, I'm sure that Carlisle could have._

"I'm glad that you had a nice afternoon," she says. "I'm sure that it was more fun than just hanging around here waiting for me."

"It was," he replies, picking up her tone. "I would have rather spent the time with you, but I don't want to miss out on fun with your friends. I want you to be happy. And if that makes you happy, then I'm happy."

_And I really mean that, Edward._

"Yeah," she says.

_Well, I guess that makes sense. And why should he be all alone while I am off being happy. Aurora is a really nice. She's going to be a nurse and take care of all the sick people back in her village. And since she's First Nations, I bet that she knows a lot of the same stuff that Jacob does about Native Americans._

The fascinating bi-level dialogue comes to an end when Esme enters the room.

"Oh, Renesmee," she says. "You're awake. And Jacob is here. Are you two ready to eat now? The others will be back soon."

"You know I'm always ready to eat!" answers Jacob with a grin.

"It's nice, so why don't I set things up outside?" she says.

_Well, Renesmee has perked up a lot. I'm glad that Jacob is back. They both look so happy to see each other again!_

After she leaves, Jacob stands up and holds out his hand.

"Do you want to go out with me now?" he asks.

"Sure!" answers Renesmee with a smile.

_Wow! He's treating me like a little kid. But I still am a little kid. I wonder if he treats Aurora like a little kid. Oh, well. I still have lots more to tell him about today. I wonder if she tells him lots of stuff that he wants to know more about._

After they leave, I can't help myself. I begin to laugh as quietly as I can.

"So what were they thinking under those words?" asks Bella.

"It was fascinating," I say. "But it will take awhile to explain."

"I've got time," says Rosalie.

"I know you do," I grimace. "But I will only tell you if you promise not to tell Emmett. He won't be able to keep his mouth shut about it."

"I promise," she says quickly.

_And I really mean it, so don't give me any crap._

I smile at her and shake my head a little. Then I proceed to tell my wife and sister all about the interesting cross communication between Jacob and Renesmee. It's the first instance that we've ever seen of Renesmee being so possessive of Jacob in a while. Maybe she's realizing that she shouldn't take him for granted anymore. Something tells me that there could be a change coming for both of them.

_Author's note: The reason for the delay is that my sprained wrist makes it really hard to type and after a long day at school, it is painful. Let me know how the dialogue worked with the thoughts that Edward was reading as the others were speaking made sense or if I should try another format._


	41. Trouble

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 40: Trouble**

After an exciting weekend, it's back to school for all the Cullens. When Esme drops us off at the high school, we dutifully troop off to our classes. Normally, Alice and I just try to look inconspicuous, not an easy thing when you are undeniably the most gorgeous girls in the freshmen class.

We do have our admirers, but after a few days last week of being escorted to our classes by Emmett, they were now keeping their distance. However, what I wasn't prepared for was the greeting that I got from my lab partner.

"Happy Birthday, Bella!" calls out Maggie, waving from down the hall.

I inwardly groan as Jed and Kai and a few of the other boys pop out of nowhere.

"It's your birthday, Bella?" asks Kai.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asks Jed.

"I would have gotten you, like, flowers or something," asserts Kai.

"I would have gotten you a candy basket with one of those big balloons attached to it," says Jed in attempt to outdo him.

I cringe and Alice tries to come to my rescue.

"Listen, boys!" she says. "That is exactly why Bella doesn't want you to make a big deal out of her birthday. She doesn't like attention, got it?"

But they just grin. Then, out of nowhere, Edward appears.

"Hey girls!" he says. "Mom forgot to tell you that she was picking us up later today."

"Really?" asks Kai.

"What's it too you, punk?" he says, giving him a slightly menacing look.

"Uh, nothing," says Kai.

"No, nothing," says Jed quickly. "We have to get to class, right Kai?"

"Right, Jed," answers his buddy as they melt into the crowd of students who are rushing into the building before the first bell.

Edward grins.

"Problem solved," he says cheerfully and takes off to his own class on the other side of the building.

"Was he listening to them through you?" I ask Alice.

"More than that," she replies. "He was watching the future unfold with me unless someone took action to stop it. And those two were going to be very persistent."

"What about Maggie?" I ask.

"She made you a little cake that she's bringing to lunch," she says. "She will tell you all about it at lunch. Don't worry. I will talk her out of singing Happy Birthday. I'll just go on about the bad memories that your birthday has for you and she will feel bad. You will need to make her feel better."

We arrive at the door of the math classroom and there is no more time to talk. The usual hustle and bustle of Monday morning keeps us so busy that we don't have time to talk again. When I approach our lab table, Maggie is smiling broadly at me.

"Hi, Bella!" she says cheerfully. "I hope that I didn't embarrass you. The rumor is that your brother Edward had to chase off your two buddies."

"That's true," I say noncommittally. "How did you know that it was my birthday?"

"Someone said something to about it at the party on Saturday," she explains. "And Terah came home and told me right away. You have no idea about how happy she was to be invited to that party. I think that Renesmee is her new idol."

"Renesmee is a really sweet kid," I answer. "She was happy that Terah and Misty were there. And it was a big surprise for her. She told me that she never had a party like before."

"Well, her influence has done wonders for Terah," she says. "She wasn't always such a shy and scared little thing. But since my Mom passed away, she's taken it very hard. When she came home and was telling us about it, she was laughing for the first time in ages."

"I'm glad to hear that," I say, doing my best to hide my very genuine pride in the little girl who was really my daughter and not my younger foster sister.

Knowing Edward, I am sure that he is listening too, and smiling. After the incident this morning, I am sure that he has been keeping tabs on me. Luckily our conversation has to end. The teacher is lecturing on some topic that I already know well, so I let my thoughts drift back to Saturday.

One advantage of my vampire brain is that I can daydream and take notes at the same time. No one would ever guess, not even my lab partner, that my mind was a thousand miles away. But Maggie is sweet that she would never give me away. She probably thinks that I'm just daydreaming about my birthday anyway.

On Saturday night, after Jacob and Renesmee went outside to eat, Edward told Rosalie and I about the thoughts behind their conversation. To Rosalie's annoyance, he even told me what she was thinking.

"Well, you won't tell _them_ what each was thinking while they were talking, will you?" she asked.

"I hate to tell you Rosalie, but what they were saying and thinking were hardly unusual for two friends," he said. "I've been listening to these kinds of conversations for decades and it's always the same thing. What they say and what they think is different. They are very careful about what they say to hide their own insecurities."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that while Kai and Jed are chasing you around school," he replied. "And they appear to be in competition with one another, they are actually using each other as a buffer. If they could be separated for any length of time, neither one would approach you alone."

"I still don't get it," I said.

"There is always the chance, at least in their minds, that you will reject one in favor if the other," he explained. "And they each hope that it will be himself. But if it isn't, the loser can blame the winner. And if you reject both, then you might say that misery loves company. They know that you won't accept both, so they can live with the odds as they are."

"That's insane!" said Rosalie scathingly.

"No more insane than the way that girls' minds work," he shrugged. "Jessica Stanley actually pretended to be Bella's friend when she first arrived in Forks so that she could garner some of the attention that Bella was getting just through proximity. And every time she said something nice to Bella about her interest in me, she was thinking that she was an idiot."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because she had a crush on _me _for at least a year before you came," he replied. "She thought that if I wasn't attracted to _her, _then it wasn't possible that I could be attracted to you. Right Rosalie?"

"Edward . . . " she begins ominously

"Let's go outside and see how they are doing," I suggested.

No doubt Rosalie was afraid that Edward would tell me about _her _jealousy when Edward first showed interest in me. He told me over seven years ago, but I decide to let the whole thing drop. When we arrive outside, Jacob and Renesmee are almost finished eating.

"Hey guys!" I called out as we approached. "How's it going?"

"Great, Momma!" answered Renesmee. "Jacob has been telling me all about his job at the shop. Maybe you could work there too, Rosalie. Jake says that there's a job opening."

Jacob grinned at her mischievously.

"Sorry, Renesmee," said Rosalie smoothly, not taking the bait. "But I'm not old enough to have working papers."

"Oh," she said. "I forgot that. Did you forget it too, Jacob?"

"No, I figured that Jasper could just whip some up for her," he replied. "But she certainly knows more about cars than I do, or anyone else I know for that matter. Who ever thought that a super-model could be a grease monkey."

"What does that make you?" she answered back. "A grease doggy?"

Renesmee giggled. Edward looked at me and shook his head. Later he told me that Renesmee had purposely set up the exchange. Jacob had told her (of course) that Rosalie was on her best behavior because it was her birthday. She bet him a dollar that she could get Rosalie to make a wisecrack with five minutes.

Jacob threw back his head and laughed.

"Good one," he said. "But why would you need to get a job anyway, since you don't need to work for a living?"

"Jacob," warned Edward.

But Renesmee was already distracted.

"Look!" she said. "It's finally starting to get dark again."

"You don't like the many hours of light that they have up here?" asked Rosalie.

"Not really," she admitted. "I miss the dark. It feels weird going to bed with the sun out. Even if it is so low."

"It may even get dark enough to see the stars in a few hours," answered Edward. "Usually it only gets that dark after you've fallen asleep."

"Well, I just had a nap," she answered. "I can't wait to see the Big Dipper."

"Why is that?" asked Rosalie.

"I like the way that it's right overhead," she explained. "Isn't it neat how it's right overhead up here, but in Brazil it's much closer it the horizon. It's sort of halfway in Washington."

Edward and I looked at each other.

"Honey," he warned. "Keep that observation to yourself in school, okay? You may have lived in various parts of the lower forty-eight, but you have never been to Brazil or anywhere else that close to the Equator. Got it?"

"Got it," she said with a nod. "Hey! Here comes everyone else. And they have presents!"

"Of course they do," said Jacob. "What would a birthday be without presents?"

Suddenly, I feel a poke in my arm.

Maggie looks at me and says, "The bell just rang. My, oh, my! You were deep in thought."

"She was probably brooding again," says Alice as she appears at our sides. "Bella isn't too fond of her birthday. She has some bad memories, of, you know . . . "

Maggie looks downcast.

"I'm sorry, I said something before" she says. "Terah told me about it. I thought that I would bake you a little cake and we could sing Happy Birthday at lunch."

It takes all of my self-control not to throw my arms around her and give her a hug. But that would scare her more than comfort her. I remember how pained Edward looked every time I got near touching him before I knew about him. He was always afraid that his body temperature would repel me. Now I can see why.

"Well, don't worry," says Alice quickly. "The cake is fine as long as long you don't try to sing."

"I promise," she says, but then looks worried again. "Are you on the same diet as Renesmee?"

"Yeah . . . " I say slowly. "Why?"

"I didn't think of it until just now," she answers. "Terah told me how Renesmee couldn't eat any kind of processed food. I just realized that you always have salads for lunch."

I look at Alice for help.

"Well," Alice hedges. "None of us really have those kinds of food issues, but we never really eat any kind of junk food as a kind of show of support. And it's healthier."

"Oh, yeah," she says thoughtfully. "And your Dad is a doctor. But Renesmee isn't here. Maybe you could have a little?"

She looks so hopeful that I can't bear to say no, so I just say, "Maybe a little."

Alice grimaces at me. But I guess that we can go to the bathroom later to choke it back up. But we will have to be careful. If someone sees or hears us, they might turn us in to the guidance department for bulimia. On the way to the cafeteria, we stop at Maggie's locker so that she can pick up the cake.

"Oh it's so cute!" says Alice. "Let me take a picture."

She whips out her phone and takes a picture. Picking up on her cue, I take out my own phone and snap a selfie of me with the cake, and then another with Maggie, me, and the cake. I'm proud at my little participation in the charade. Selfies are just so . . . human!

When we enter the cafeteria, all of the other Cullens are already there. And sitting at the table next to them, we usually sit with Maggie are Jed and Kai. I groan and look at Alice, who shrugs. But then I realize that even if she warned me, there was still nothing that I could have done. Emmett smirks at us from their table.

Maggie goes over to the table to put down the cake and then joins us in the lunch line.

"Those two are crazy," she says. "I hope they don't do anything to the cake."

"Do you know them?" asks Alice. " I mean, better than just casual acquaintances."

"Not personally, no," she says. "But I've heard all about them. They both came from the same village up north when their fathers came to town looking for work years ago. Their moms stayed back in the village with the younger kids."

"That's odd," says Alice. "Why didn't they stay with their moms?"

"There are better educational opportunities down here," she answers. "And more job possibilities when they graduate."

"Why didn't the rest of their families come?" I ask.

"It's more expensive to live down here than up there," she explains. "But from what I hear, Jed and Kai just about run wild. The four of them live in an apartment. They don't get too much supervision from their dads, but nobody looks at them twice. I guess because there are no little kids involved."

"Whatever," says Alice, as we are now approaching the table.

Jed and Kai are popping up and down in their seats, like annoying little rabbits. Sometimes I have to wonder if perhaps they aren't four instead of fourteen.

"Sit here, Bella!" says Kai.

"See, we saved you a seat!" Jed chimes in, pointing to the chair in between them.

"Down, boys!" says Edward playfully, yet sternly, coming up behind them. "I think that Bella wants to sit next to her friend who baked her the cake."

Their disappointment is clear, as he sits beside Kai. I sit between him and Maggie, as Alice sits in the seat between them. She looks intently at Edward who carelessly shrugs. I figure that she's not happy.

"If I had known it was Bella's birthday," says Kai. "I would have bought her . . . "

"Nothing," says Edward firmly. "You would have bought her nothing. Bella doesn't like it when other people spend money on her."

"Maggie brought her a cake," says Jed defensively.

"Which she made herself," says Alice. "And Bella does like homemade gifts. She always has."

I nod and try to give Maggie an encouraging look. I can see that she doesn't like that the boys have made her the center of attention almost as much as I do. Edward speaks rapidly under his breath.

"Half the cafeteria is paying attention now, thanks to these two nuts. Keep your mouth shut and let Alice and I do the talking."

"So how was Biology class, girls?" asks Edward.

"It was boring," answers Alice making a face.

Then Emmett and Jasper come over. Jasper pulls a chair around backwards and sits down between Alice and Jed. Emmett grabs another chair and sits about halfway between Maggie and me. I can see Rosalie picking up her tray and walking out in annoyance. Whatever they are planning, she clearly does not approve. Edward glares at both of them.

"You find all of your classes boring," comments Jasper. "Don't you, Alice?"

She sticks her tongue out at him.

"Not all of them," she says. "But the bio is a little repetitious now. I can't wait until we hit the new stuff."

"You've taken bio before?" asks Kai.

"Online," she replies. "But it's not the same, especially when you do the labs."

There is an awkward silence at the table and I am starting to feel sorry for Maggie. Here she meant to make this nice gesture and Jed and Kai, not to mention my two "brothers," have almost ruined it for her. I look at Alice pleadingly.

"I think that cake looks yummy," she says. "Don't you, Emmett? Why don't you cut us each a slice, Maggie?"

"Oh, man!" says Emmett. "I'm not sure that I should have any. My new training program, you know?"

"Oh, a little bite won't hurt," Alice coaxes sweetly. "Come on, you too Jasper."

Edward smirks as they each accept a slice that Maggie cuts for them. Then he takes his own slice and swallows a bite.

"Come on, bros," he says mischievously. "This is dee-liciois. You at least have to try it."

They both grimace at him, while Jed and Kai shove their own pieces n their mouths.

"That was awesome, Maggie," says Jed.

Maggie blushes.

"Yo, bro!" he says to Jasper. "If you don't want that piece, I'll take it."

Jasper silently hands him the untouched slice, as Emmett turns his over to Kai.

"I wish I had bitten it first," he mutters quickly under his breath.

Fortunately, Maggie is unaware of the various tensions around the table. She is just pleased at the success of her cake. We stand up to leave, when suddenly Kai picks up the rest of Edward's almost unbeaten slice and hurls it at Jed.

"Food fight!" he yells loudly and cheerfully.

In the mayhem that ensues, I have trouble keeping track of what is happening. Kai misses Jed with the cake and hits Maggie instead. That makes me _really _mad. Without thinking about it, I smack him in the shoulder. That sends him flying halfway across the room and into a group of kids waiting in line to throw their trash away.

Now, in addition to food flying through the air, there are bodies as the boys, and a few of the girls, take advantage of the confusion to start a real fight. I step protectively in front of Maggie, as Alice tries to help her get the cake off without touching her.

Jed goes flying over to check on Kai, who is lying on the floor, while Edward, Emmett, and Jasper form a perimeter around us. No one dares to come near us. Emmett flicks a soda can coming at us off in another direction and it hits the wall and explodes. Luckily it happens too fast for anyone but us to see.

Suddenly the sound of a referee's whistle is screeching through the room.

"Everybody freeze!" shouts the principal, Mr. Griffin in English and then French.

The room becomes instantly still.

"Let's sort this out," he says with a sigh, as the bell rings. "Nobody leaves until we speak to him!"

Then he and several teachers begin to make their way through the mayhem, each with a pad of detention slips. It appears that most of the kids were just following along. They just get a slip. When asked who started it, they answer that Kai had yelled "food fight," the universal student call to arms.

"Oh brother!" mutters Jasper. "I feel like I'm in one if those really bad eighties high school movies."

_"Breakfast Club?" _grins Emmett.

"No, _Lunch Club_," replies Jasper. "Maybe _we'll _get detention."

Maggie looks at them wide-eyed. I can tell that she is worried that _she _will get detention. I'm about to reassure her, when Edward groans.

"Oh, no!" he points over to Jed, who is explaining how I smacked Kai and it hurled him across the room.

"Man!" he says. "Who knew that a _girl _could be so strong?"

Kai is moaning and holding his arm.

"I think that it's broken," says the school nurse, who came in with the other teachers. "He'll have to go to the hospital for X-rays."

"Who hit you, son?" asks Mr. Griffin more kindly than I think he deserves.

"It was Bella," he replies. "But it was really my fault. I threw cake at Jed and it hit Maggie instead."

"Good man, bro!" mutters Emmett. "Taking one for the home team."

"Shut up, Emmett!" warns Edward.

"Now which one of you is Bella?" asks Mr. Griffin after he walks over.

I raise my hand as I cringe back and try to hide behind Edward. Mr. Griffin looks at me thoughtfully.

"You're one of the new kids," he says. "One of Dr. Cullen's foster kids. Well, it looks like you hurt that boy pretty badly. You will have to come to the office with me."

I cling to Alice, as Jed calls from across the room, "It's not her fault."

"We started it," croaks Kai, obviously in pain.

"That is immaterial," says Mr. Griffin. "We have a no tolerance policy with regard to physical violence in this school. The ability to throw a boy halfway across the room constitutes a threat to everyone. We are going to have to call your parents."

"Yes, sir," I whisper, still refusing to let go of Alice.

"The rest of you may return to class," he dismisses them.

"I would like to stay with Bella," says Alice immediately.

"No, Miss Cullen," he replies. "You belong in class."

I give him my biggest, widest-eyed fearful stare and whisper, "Please."

He looks at us. Maggie looks like she is going to cry. Emmett and Jasper are trying to look non-threatening, but I can see that they barely have it under control. Luckily, Edward does have it under control.

"Sir," he says respectfully. "I think that my parents would prefer it if a Alice and I stay with Bella until they get here. As you can see, she's very shaken up. Her guidance counselor will attest to the fact that she has suffered some traumas in her life."

Mr. Griffin looks at me and then sighs,

"Come along," he says. "But the rest of you go to class!"

"I'm so sorry!" says Maggie mournfully.

"It's not your fault," hisses Alice. "It was those two idiots over there."

"Forget about it, Emmett," mutters Edward.

Undoubtedly, Emmett is thinking about all kinds of physical reprisals against the two boys. But Jasper claps him on the back and leads him out of the cafeteria. Maggie flies out after them, more probably to go cry in the bathroom rather than go to class. Jed and Kai are gone with the nurse.

The principal looks pointedly at Edward and we follow him out.

"Don't say a word, Bella," warns Edward. "Let us do all the talking."

"Okay," I nod, as we make our way to the office.

Why does this kind of stuff always happen on my birthday?

_Author's note: Sorry about the big cliffie, but that's all I can manage for now. If you want more frequent updates, you will have to get shorter chapters. The wrist is not so good. I start physical therapy next week._

_I do have a one-shot that I will be posting later today after I finish grooming the texts. Thanks for all of the requests for updates! They warm my heart!_


	42. Sympathy

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's note: Many thanks to Jessica for suggesting that I pursue this aspect of Bella attending high school for the first time. _

**Chapter 41: Sympathy**

"Edward," says Bella under her breath. "Everybody is watching us."

"Don't look at them," I say, equally softly.

As we follow Mr. Griffin down to his office, it takes all of my willpower and self-control not to put my arm around Bella like Alice does. This is the high school equivalent of the "perp walk," with students gathered along the hallways, despite the fact that teachers are telling them to get to class.

But this is the "Grace period," so to speak, the extended passing time to allow the students who are returning to class from lunch arrive on time. As we pass them, I notice that all of the thoughts of the students are sympathetic towards Bella. It appears that Kai and Jed are not at all popular with their peers.

Emmett and Jasper are nowhere to be seen, although I can hear them discussing the situation somewhere and calculating the odds of Carlisle and Esme talking us out of this one. But we do pass Rosalie who is standing off to the side as inconspicuously as the most stunning girl in the school can.

_I had a bad felling about this. But it wasn't Bella's fault. Is there anything that I can do?_

Without catching her eye, as I pass her, I whisper, too low for human ears, "Maggie."

_I will see if I can find her. But I don't know how much good I can do._

I hear her silently take off to search the bathrooms. Everyone is so focused on us, that no one notices when she simply vanishes. A minute or two later, I can see that she has found Maggie sitting on the floor of one of the bathrooms sobbing uncontrollably.

_I'll do what I can, but I'm not very good at this. I don't want to leave her alone here. She's a really nice kid. And her little sister is Renesmee's friend._

I resist the temptation to smile. Of course, Renesmee would be the motivating force in my sister's kindness. I turn to view Alice's mind. I can see Carlisle and Esme entering the office with looks of concern on their faces. Bella is obediently quiet and looking scared to death, no acting necessary for that one. But Alice and I are gone the minute that Carlisle and Esme get there. I look sharply at Alice, who shrugs.

_We're high school students again, remember? And freshmen at that. Besides, haven't Carlisle and Esme gotten very good at talking our way out of these kinds of situations? Think of all the crap that Emmett put them through._

I'm thinking about that, when Emmett's voice, as if on cue, sounds loudly in my head.

_Oh, for crying out loud, Edward! Chill out! This is the woman who faced down the Volturi! What is she scared of from a few puny humans? What's the big deal?_

This time I have to cough to cover a laugh. Alice looks at me sharply and I whisper under my breath, "Volturi." She manages to conceal a smile and I see Bella's shoulders relax a little. If you think about it, anyone with the ability to shield over thirty vampires and seventeen wolves from the most powerful force in the vampire world, is hardly likely to be hurt by the principal in a small, territorial high school in the middle of nowhere.

I search through Griffin's mind and have to admire his mental abilities. Talk about multi-tasking (or rather thinking)! He is thinking about Kai, whether he is badly hurt and what he will tell his father. He is concerned by the disruption of the school day and is contemplating making an announcement over the PA to restore order.

He is wondering if detention will be enough of a deterrent to prevent future food fights. He hasn't seen one in over twenty years and is wondering, like Emmett, what stupid old movie gave Kai the idea. If he weren't at the hospital getting his arm set, he would be in bigger trouble than Bella.

And he is worried about what to do with Bella. The Cullens have become one of the most popular families in the community. He is trying to figure out what to say to Carlisle and Esme and he is wondering how the hell Bella had the strength to toss Kai across the room without breaking a sweat.

And he does all of this as he calmly leads us to the main office and then back to his own office. His office is set up as a combination office and conference room. At one end is his desk, which has several chairs in place for private meetings. At the other is a small conference table surrounded by eight chairs. The space is relatively neat, but he is obviously a busy man.

He indicates that Alice, Bella, and I should sit down at the table and calls out to his administrative assistant, "Have you reached the Cullens yet?"

"Yes, sir," a female voice responds. "They are both on their way."

"Good," he mutters to himself and then closes the door and turns to us.

It's show time! Alice has replaced her outrage with a concerned look as she pats Bella on the back. Bella is sitting forward resting her head on her arms folded on the table and her hair falling around her face, trying to avoid looking at anyone. I do my best to tone down my own mature expression. A normal freshman boy would not be so cool-headed.

"My mother and father are on their way, sir?" I ask Griffin politely.

He looks at me sharply. I guess that I am still not behaving "freshman" enough so I cringe a little. He is in fact suspicious because I have been acting so mature and mannerly. He is trying to estimate what he thinks that my real age should be, but it's too hard. For years I have been passing as anything from fourteen to twenty. Of course it helps that vampires can't grow facial hair.

I know that humans not only judge age on looks, but also on body language and speech. I slouch a little lower in my chair and do my best to put an expression of anxiety on my face.

"They are coming, young man," he says sternly. "Once they are here, you and your sister will return to class. You are not in trouble."

_Told you so!_

I want to reach over and smack Alice myself. We are going to need to stay here long enough to tell the story. I am afraid that Bella will suddenly sound too composed if she begins to tell the story herself. I briefly look significantly at Alice, too briefly for Griffin to see. Fortunately, he starts asking the questions right away.

"Okay," he says calmly as he takes a seat across the table. "Now that we are in a quiet place, why don't you tell me what happened?"

"You see . . . " begins Alice, but he cuts her off right away.

"I think that your sister can speak for herself," he says firmly.

_Help, Edward!_

"Sir," I begin politely and this time a little hesitantly. "I think that my sister is pretty messed up by all of this. This is her first time going to a real school and she's still trying to figure it out. Since, we saw the whole thing, can't Alice or I tell you. I'm sure that Bella will feel better once Mom and Dad get here. Then she will be able to talk."

He looks at Bella, who peeks out of her hair long enough to nod and then puts her face back down in her arms on the table. Alice bends over here again, leaving me to talk. I can hear her rapidly whispering instructions to my wife.

"Um, where do you want me to start, sir?" I ask nervously.

He rolls his eyes.

_Idiot freshman boy! And to think that for a minute there, I considered him too mature for his age._

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" he says patiently.

"Well, when we got to school today . . . "

"Not that far back!" he snaps.

_Fool! Does he think that I want a rundown of his whole school day?_

"Start with the cause of the . . . food fight," he says the last two words as if they were painful.

_I still can't believe that happened in my school! A food fight, for crying out loud? What were those two little twerps thinking? Oh, right, they weren't thinking. There are times that I wish that they would go back wherever they came from._

"Well, we were sitting around the lunch table and talking, you know, just like any regular day," I begin, liking Griffin more, now that I know that he feels the same way about Jed and Kai that I do. "Maggie Stone had baked a little cake for Bella's birthday. Now Bella doesn't really like a fuss for her birthday. She has some bad memories of them, from you know, with her mom."

I pause for a minute because I can see that he is taking notes.

"Keep talking," mumbles Griffin as he continues to scribble.

"So, um, we kind of compromised," I continue. "We didn't sing Happy Birthday, but Maggie cut up the cake and passed the slices around. Jed and Kai were kind of excited when they found out that my big brothers, Emmett and Jasper weren't going to eat theirs. But then, like, out of nowhere, Kai whales Emmett's piece at Jed and yells, 'food fight'!"

"I couldn't believe it!" chimes in Alice. "I never thought that food fights ever _really _happened in school. I thought they were just, like, in the movies or something."

"So did I," mutters Griffin. "What happened next?"

"That's when it got all crazy, you know?" I say. "The cake hit Maggie instead of Jed and Bella got pissed. Excuse me, I mean upset. She's never made a friend of her own before. We were all very proud that she was brave enough to. So I think that she kind of got mad at Kai for getting cake on Maggie."

_Kind of? That's an understatement._

"Please continue," he says.

"Well, I'm not really sure about what happened next," I say deliberately. "You know. There was food flying all over the place and people were holding up trays to protect themselves and stuff.

"But I think that Bella just kind of smacked Kai. I guess that she didn't know her own strength. Then things got really crazy because there were other kids hitting and pushing each other and stuff. So me and my brothers got in front of the girls, you know, to like protect them."

"Yes," he agrees. "The sight of you three, especially, the older ones, standing like some kind of barrier around your sisters and the other girl was impressive."

"Yeah, well," I say, affecting a macho tone. "We take care of our women, you know?"

_Oh, give me a break! We take care of our women? What kind of movie does this guy think he's in? This is one of those days when I wish I had taken that sweet retirement package they offered me last year, so much for wanting to see these new curriculum changes that I initiated through._

"Well," he sighs. "That's about what I figured. But I still don't see how a little girl like Bella . . . "

There is a knock on the door and the administrative assistant pops her head in.

"Dr. Cullen is here, sir," she says.

"Thank you, Lois," he says as he stands.

"Dr. Cullen, I'm Morris Griffin," he says as he shakes Carlisle's hand. "I pleased to meet you, I just wish that it was under happier circumstances."

"How do you do, Mr. Griffin?" answers Carlisle smoothly.

_Okay, Edward, what is going on? How did Bella of all people end up breaking a kid's arm by tossing him halfway across the cafeteria? Was she trying to kill him? _

"Hi, Dad," I say nervously. "There was, um, a little misunderstanding at lunch."

"Really?" he raises his eyebrows. "That's not what I heard . . . "

But he can't say anymore because Lois is at the door again.

"Mrs. Cullen is here," she announces.

As Griffin turns to greet Esme, I rapidly and quietly explain the situation to Carlisle. I'm glad that I did, because a vision pops into Alice's head of us two leaving the room and Bella sitting between Carlisle and Esme.

_Son, I don't know how you get into these situations sometimes. Don't worry, we will figure something out. Do you think that Bella will manage without you to talk for her?_

I look down and see that despite the fact that she is still hiding behind her hair, Bella is pretty calm. If she takes it slow, she should be fine with Carlisle and Esme. I look up and give him a little nod.

"I'll listen," I say quickly.

"I don't see anything bad happening," says Alice rapidly under her breath. "Just you and Esme leaving with Bella."

Carlisle gives us a little nod, but then has to turn his attention back to Griffin.

"Edward and Alice," he says. "You may now return to class. My assistant will write passes for you. Since you had no part in the scuffle in the cafeteria, you will not get detention."

"Oh, thank you, sir," says Alice. "I would really have . . . "

"Good day, Miss Cullen," interrupts Griffin impatiently. "Get back to class."

I grab Alice's hand and make it look like I am dragging her out before she can say anything else. We get our passes from Lois and go out into the hall.

"I coached Bella on what to say and how to say it," says Alice quickly. "As long as she doesn't talk too fast or act scared enough, she should be fine."

"Oh," I groan. "Time for science and Pauline. She's going to have a million questions."

I listen carefully and am relieved to find out that the teacher is lecturing. This is sheer luck. I will be able to listen to the meeting and not have to deal with any interaction.

"See you later!" I say and hurry off so that I can settle in.

When I get to the room, I hand the teacher my pass and take my place. Then I whip out my notebook to start taking notes. Pauline is trying desperately to catch my eye, but I studiously ignore her. The teacher notices however and gives her a dirty look.

I decide to observe the meeting through Esme's eyes, mostly because if I try to read through Carlisle's mind, I will have to listen to his blow-by-blow analysis of the situation. Esme is easier because she is focused on her poor "baby," Bella. They have already begun by the time I have focused. Luckily for Bella, Griffin is telling them about the episode using the explanation I gave him.

_"So that's the long and the short of it, Dr. Cullen," says Griffin. "Your children did not start or participate in the ruckus. The only reason that we are here, is that Miss Swan injured another student enough to send his to the emergency room."_

_"I am aware of that," says Carlisle. "I saw the boy when he came in and know that he needs to have his bones set in two places. At the time, I had no idea of how he had been injured other than at a dust up at the school, and certainly had no idea that one of my children was involved."_

_Oh poor, boy! Esme thinks._

I inwardly grimace. It's a typical Esme reaction to be sympathetic, only this time it's seriously misplaced.

_"So then you know that Kai, or more likely his father, could press charges of assault and battery?" he asks._

I grip my pen so tightly that the metal bends.

_"Yes," answers Carlisle. "I understand that. Bella, what do you have to say about this? Did Mr. Griffin describe the situation accurately?"_

_"Yes," she whispers. "That's how I remember it, I guess."_

_"Why was your reaction to the, um, cake throwing so violent?" asks Carlisle._

Good question, I think.

_"I didn't really think that it was violent," she answers slowly. "I mean, I didn't mean to hurt him or anything. It's just that I got mad at him for, like, being such a jerk. You know, Maggie was trying to be nice to me and he had to go and mess it all up by throwing food at her. It was, like, so gross."_

Good job, I think to myself. Way to sound like a teenager!

_"So then what was your intention when you hit him?" asks Griffin, who now has a thoughtful expression on his face. "You are saying that you didn't think that you were hitting him so hard?"_

_"Oh, I don't know," she answers. "Maybe it was just the last straw. I mean, those two losers have been stalking me since I started school."_

_Mr. Griffin's eyebrows shoot up._

_"Has she said anything about this to you?" asks Carlisle and Esme._

_"Well, yes, she has," says Carlisle calmly. "Alice has mentioned it also. You probably know that we specifically requested that our daughter Alice be placed in all of Bella's classes with her to help her adjust. Alice has always been a lot more social than any of our other children. And Bella is certainly the most shy."_

_"Hmm," he says. "This shyness, now I know that you don't have to answer this question, but do you attribute it to the circumstances of her, um, living situation before she went into your care."_

_"Oh yes," says Esme immediately. "We try not to spread the story of course, but Bella's biological mother is presently in prison in Alaska for a number of crimes including drug dealing. She isolated the poor girl from others, even putting her on a kind of home study."_

_"So she really has never been to school before?" he asks. "Not even kindergarten or pre-school?"_

_"No sir," Bella whispers. "I just wanted them to quit bugging me. But they wouldn't. And I couldn't be rude to them."_

_"You should have been," Griffin mumbles. _

_Esme and Carlisle exchange a glance._

_"Did you try to help Bella with this dilemma?" he asks more loudly._

_"After she told us," replies Carlisle. "The older boys began to maintain more of a presence, shall we say, near her. And Edward has been very watchful. But I don't believe that the boys took the hint."_

_"You realize, Bella," says Griffin. "That a charge of stalking has very serious consequences. I'm sure that you have read about real people who are accused of stalking. Is that really the charge that you want to make?"_

_Bella looks confused._

_"I wasn't making a charge," she says. "I was just telling you why I was so mad. I mean, it wasn't just because they ruined Maggie's day. It felt like they had been stalking me. I mean they were always running after me or trying to carry my books and stuff. I just want to be left alone by, you know, the other kids. I don't want people to notice me."_

_Mr. Griffin's face looks kinder._

_"Okay, then I can see how you might think that the two boys were stalking you," he says. "But why didn't you try talking to one if your teachers or your guidance counselor? You know there are people here who would be willing to help you."_

_"I thought that I could handle it with Alice and the rest of them to help me," she explains. "My mom, I mean, my other mom, taught me never to trust the people in charge. They are always looking for ways to get you in trouble."_

Brava, Bella! Or rather Alice, I think. That makes perfect sense considering that your "mother" is supposed to be a criminal.

_"I'm afraid that this has happened before," says Esme, trying to play on his sympathies. "Her mother's influence has really made her distrust adults. In fact, that is why she has become so close to Alice and Edward. She sees them as her protectors."_

_"Yes, this is the dynamic that has evolved," sighs Carlisle. "Alice speaks for her and Edward runs interference, even at home. That's why we decided that she shouldn't be with him in her classes. We needed to help her to negotiate these kinds of social situations on her own. I'm afraid that things haven't gone as smoothly as we had hoped they would."_

_"Bella," says Mr. Griffin gently. "I can see now that you are dealing with a lot of issues. But I still don't understand this terrible anger. Can you try to explain it to me?"_

_Bella looks at Esme, who gives her an encouraging nod._

_"I never made a friend for myself before," she says slowly. "I never had any friends when I lived with her, my first mom. I felt like she was ashamed of me, or something. Then when I moved in with the Cullens, everyone was so nice. I mean, Jasper and Emmett are kind of scary. And Rosalie is just so intimidating. I mean, you know, she's so perfect._

_"But Edward and Alice were so nice to me and the little girl, Renesmee, she was just so . . . kind. I finally felt safe. I was so scared to come here. I thought that everyone would know about . . . her, being in prison and all that. But my lab partner, you know, Maggie, she was just so nice. And she was my friend. And I was scared when she made the cake that everyone would notice me. _

_"And nobody did. It was like, perfect, until stupid old Kai had to go and throw the cake and start all the stuff. And I was so scared. I thought that Maggie wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. You know how it is. It was all my fault. If I hadn't had my stupid birthday then everything would have been, you know, normal."_

_When she finishes, she buries her face in Esme's shoulder. Esme strokes her hair and whispers, "There. there." Then Esme looks up at Carlisle and Griffin. Carlisle's face is completely blank, but it is obvious that he is surprised by Bella's acting abilities. Even I can almost believe her story. Griffin is looking even more sympathetic._

_I switch over to his mind and can see that Bella is shaking her shoulders as if she is crying. Griffin is now getting very mad at Kai and Jed. He is viewing them as creating unnecessary stress for an already fragile young girl. And he is hoping that no charges will be pressed against her. He is trying to figure out if their persistent harassment is enough leverage to convince Kai's father not to go after her._

_"Thank you, Bella," Griffin says kindly. "For being brave enough to tell me your story. I think that it was very courageous of you to share all of that with me. I will make sure that Kai and Jed don't bother you anymore."_

_"I don't want to get them in trouble," she says, her voice muffled by Esme's shoulder._

_"Trust me," he says. "Kai and Jed are more than capable of getting themselves in trouble without help from anyone else. But Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, I think that you need to speak with your children about not trying to solve these kinds of problems themselves. _

_"Now I know that they have been homeschooled up until now, so they don't fully understand the social dynamic here. But they should understand that the adults run the school and we will take care of them."_

Knowing that I am sitting in a classroom full of other students, one of whom is watching me intently, I don't burst out laughing. This guy has got to be kidding! I have been to high school enough times to know that the adults don't know half the crap that goes on among the students.

_"I promise you that we will speak to them," says Carlisle seriously._

_"There is still the matter of Bella's physical strength," he says. "I mean Kai isn't a very large boy, but she still managed to throw him across the room."_

_"I think that what we are dealing with is an adrenalin rush," says Carlisle confidently, using the excuse that he has used in the past for Emmett's superhuman strength. "Between the stress of the situation and her latent fears, I am sure that she didn't mean to hurt the boy. Bella is such a gentle person. I have never seen her lose her temper before."_

_Griffin nods._

_"I can accept that," he says. "But I would like to know that Bella is getting some professional help so that she can deal with her past and present issues. I really don't feel that our guidance counselors here are equipped to deal with it."_

_"I am sure that we can find someone for her to speak with in town through my connections," replies Carlisle._

_"Good," says Griffin. _

_"Mr. Griffin," says Esme. "I was wondering if you wouldn't let me take Bella home now. I think that she has had a long enough day. Would you like that, honey?"_

_"Yes, ma'am," says Bella, looking up at her gratefully._

_"Then, you may sign her out at the front desk," says Griff__in. __"I think that it is for the best if you take her home. By tomorrow the excitement should have died down."_

_"Thank you, Mr. Griffin," she says. "You have been most kind."_

After they leave, I switch over to Griffin's thoughts.

_I don't know how they manage it. Dr. Cullen and his wife are so young and yet they have responsibility for all of those teenagers who have had various traumas in their lives. Those kids are damned lucky to have them. Now I better get on the phone and make sure that this issue of assault and battery goes away._

The bell rings for the end of class, so I stop listening. As I gather up my things, Pauline finally has the opportunity to talk to me.

"I'm so sorry about your sister," she says. "She only did what half the freshman class has been ready to do since fifth grade."

"What do you mean?" I ask, even though I already know.

"They have been a couple of little troublemakers ever since they came to town," she says. "Their fathers let them run wild. I hope that Bella doesn't get in any trouble. If she does, then I'm sure that we could get up a petition and . . . "

"That won't be necessary," I interrupt, wondering what it is about kids in Whitehorse and their obsession with petitions. "I'm sure that Mr. Griffin is a very reasonable man."

"I hope so," she says.

Thankfully we both have different classes. As soon as she's gone, Alice appears at my side.

"I'm glad that everything is okay," she says. "Were you listening?"

"Of course," I say. "And you can see what's going to happen?"

"I can guess," she grimaces. "I lose Bella after Esme brings her home, which means only one thing."

"She's going to go talk to Jacob about it," I say.

"Does that bother you?" she asks curiously.

"No," I shrug. "Esme has to turn around and come back here to get us. It's probably better if she's not alone."

"Okay," she says and flits off to her next class. "But don't forget that Jacob is not exactly going to be a neutral, third-party listener."

Why would he be? I think. That would be too easy.

When I get to my next class, advanced algebra, one of the big football players comes up to me.

"Hey, Cullen!" he says. "Tim Ryan. Is your sister all right?"

"I think so, um, Tim," I say as if I don't know what happened in Griffin's office.

"Well, if Kai gives her any crap again," he answers. "I'll squash him and his buddy like bugs, okay?"

"Yeah, uh, thanks," I say, hoping that he doesn't mention what else is on his mind.

No such luck.

"You know, Cullen, your sister looks like a real sweet girl," he says. "I know she's taking you to the Sadie Hawkins dance, but do you think that she would go to the Homecoming Dance with me if I ask her?"

I am torn between two responses. But I decide to go with the more logical one, considering the circumstances.

"I don't know," I say. "But you could try anyway."

"Cool, I can take good care of her," he says and vaults over a desk to get to his seat before the teacher begins class, his brain going into overdrive as he ponders the issue.

_Okay, now I have to figure out how to do this without scaring the poor kid. I don't want her to think that I'm some kind of creepy stalker or a pest like those two little twits. She is real pretty though. And she looks like she needs someone to protect her. I know she had all those brothers, but still . . . _

I sigh. I suppose that I'm going to have to warn Bella about this. But what would Tim have thought if I told him no? I don't want him to think that I am like _that _ . . . with my sister. I decide to check in with Alice, but she has no sense of a possible invitation. Of course, Bella's future disappears the minute she decides to hang out with Jacob. High school was never so complicated before.


	43. A Vampire's Best Friend is Her

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 42: A Vampire's Best Friend is Her . . . **

I know that something is up the minute that I see Esme's van coming up the driveway. I am hanging out on my porch, trying to interest myself in the book that had been assigned to me to read by my reading and writing tutor. I tried to convince him that I would rather read a manual on BMW engines or something, but instead he gave me this piece of crap called _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance._

The van stops at my driveway and who hops out, but Bella. She walks over to me with a kind of "I just messed up big time" look on her face. Esme turns the engine off and follows her over. She has her usual concerned look on her face, but that's Esme.

"Hey, Bells!" I say. "What happened to you? Did you get suspended or something?"

"Not funny, Jacob," she answers as she plops down into the chair next to me. "I just spent an hour in the principal's office because I broke a kid's arm in two places."

"No kidding?" I say, impressed that she had only broken a couple of bones. "Are you sure they got the right Cullen? That sounds like something that Emmett would do."

"And it would have been Emmett at least ten years ago," says Esme, comfortingly. "I can't tell you the number of trips that I had to make to the principal's office because he hurt someone in a fight."

"Were you in a fight, Bella?" I ask in surprise.

"Not exactly," she says. "Unless you count getting caught in the crossfire of a food fight as getting into a fight."

Even Esme has to keep from smiling at that one. I feel bad for Bella. I know that when she was in school for real that she never got in trouble. But this was, well, kind of funny. I mean, a vampire in a food fight? You can't make this stuff up. I can't help myself.

"I get it. So you were fighting with Emmett over the kid, you know the food?" I ask, unable to hold back my laughter.

"Jacob!" chorus Bella and Esme.

"That was pretty bad even for you, Jake," says Bella.

"Sorry, guys, but you made that one too easy," I reply.

"Now, Jacob," scolds Esme. "That was in very poor taste!"

I can't help it. I'm practically rolling on the floor laughing.

"Enough with the food allusions," replies Bella, who doesn't find it any funnier than Esme does. "It's been a very humiliating day."

Because I don't want her to get up and leave, I get myself under control.

"So, a food fight, huh" I say smirking. "How lame is that? What century are these guys living in up here?"

"Now let's not judge a whole town based on the misdeeds of two boys with little or no parental control," says Esme, still sounding a little ticked off at me. "Most of the people here are perfectly nice."

"That's true," says Bella grudgingly. "I just can't believe those two losers."

"Don't tell me. Kai and Jed, right?" I ask.

"How do you know about those two?" asks Esme.

"Well, Bella has told me about the crap that they give her in school," I say. "You know, following her around like a pair of puppies. But the word around town is that they're more like a pair of stray dogs who need to be locked up in the pound."

"I thought that you had a fondness for dogs?" asks Bella acidly.

"Where did you hear about the boys?" asks Esme.

"Oh, a lot of times when I stop off at the diner sometimes for dinner in between work and school, those two little punks will come in," I answer. "Their Dads give them food money because they're too lazy too cook for them. That's what Mary says anyway."

"You know you can't believe everything that Mary says," scolds Esme, as if she's _my _mother too.

"Well, old Joe backed her up," I say defensively. "And if he's not reliable enough for you, Tabitha threatened to go over and paddle their behinds one night when they were trying to put salt in the sugar bowls and sugar in the salt shakers."

"Idiots," mutters Bella.

"Poor boys!" says Esme.

"Yeah, right!" I say. "You should have seen the mess they made! Mary told them that if they ever did it again that she would make them lick it up with their tongues."

Bella cracks up at that.

"For real?" she asks.

"You bet!" I reply. "It's too bad you don't eat. That place is the best entertainment in town."

"I'm surprised that Mary hasn't kicked them out for good," says Esme, puzzled.

"No way!" I reply. "Those kids are good for her wallet. Old Joe told me that one of their Dads comes in once a month to pay her off, usually about fifty bucks, sometimes a hundred if it's been a really bad month, to put up with their crap."

"Just how old is Old Joe?" asks Esme, changing the subject from bribery.

"Ancient," I reply. "He's got to be at least sixty."

"Ancient," says Esme with an eye roll. "Well, I'm one hundred and twenty-three, so show a little more respect for your elders. I've got to go back and pick up the kids. See you later."

"Is she really one hundred and twenty-three?" I ask, after she drives off.

"Born in 1895," says Bella. "That's young compared to Carlisle. He's almost three hundred and seventy years old."

"Gotta give those vamps credit," I say shaking my head. "They certainly are well-preserved."

"Hey!" she says. "I'm one of those vamps. Do you think that I'm well-preserved?"

"Let's face it Bells, you're what? Twenty-six today?" I answer. "And you're passing yourself off as fourteen? If that isn't well preserved . . . Ouch! That hurt!"

She has just swatted me the head. I may have a hard werewolf head, in fact when she was human she broke her hand punching me in the face, but now she really packs a punch.

"What were you saying?" she asks.

"Was that how hard you hit the little twerp?" I ask rubbing my head. "I'm surprised that you didn't kill him?"

"So am I," she admits sitting down. "I felt like it. Kai and Jed have been driving me crazy since school began. But I didn't want to call attention to myself by complaining. Emmett and Jasper tried to scare them off, but they were too subtle."

"You know, Bells, the words Emmett and subtle really don't belong in the same sentence unless they're separated by the adverb 'not,'" I remark.

"Those grammar lessons really must be sinking in," she replies sarcastically.

"How do you . . . ?" I say. "Never mind. It figures that your husband outted me as a near illiterate."

"Only to me," she says. "And if you wouldn't be so mean, I wouldn't have to use it as ammunition is one of our fights."

She glares at me and I back down. I have been breaking her chops since she stepped on the front porch. Time to call a truce. So I give her that "forgive me" smile that I know she can't risk and she gives me a little smile back."

"So why don't you tell me the story?" I say more nicely. "That way if anyone tries to tell it wrong down at the diner I can correct them. By the way, how did you explain your use of almost lethal force?"

"Carlisle said it was an adrenalin rush," she says. "Apparently, Emmett has had a lot of those over the years."

"I can imagine," I say. "Now what's the deal with the food fight?"

"Well, now that it's over and I'm away from school, it's actually kind of funny," she admits, finally smiling a little. "In fact, it was really pretty juvenile. You see Jed and Kai found out it was my birthday today, because Maggie wished me Happy Birthday the minute she saw me at school."

"Maggie is Terah's older sister, right?" I ask. "You know, Renesmee's friend?"

"Do you know the names of all . . . " she starts. "Of course, you do. It's an imprint thing right? Or is it a wolf thing? You know, photographic memory or something."

"Well, it is part of my job to make sure that she's safe and happy," I reply. "Now I know that I can't go near her friends, but at least I can get her tell me all about them."

"Please tell me that you won't go chasing after any little seventh graders if they hurt her feelings," she begs.

"I wouldn't pick on a little kid," I say virtuously. "On the other hand, if Mme. Beauclair gets out of line again, I may have to do something about that."

"Jacob," she says. "Leave the poor woman alone. She's only trying to do her job. Besides, I thought that we were talking about me. Does every conversation have to turn into something about Renesmee?"

"Okay, okay," I say, lifting up my hands. "Don't break my arm or anything."

"Jacob," she says threateningly, glaring at me again.

"Tell me about what happened, Bells, please," I say as nicely as I can.

"Anyway," she continues. "Jed and Kai heard her and came running up to me offering to buy me gifts, which you know I hate. Edward must have been watching out for me though, because he chased them off. Then Alice warned me that Maggie baked me a cake. I guess she was thanking me fir helping her out of that jam last week.

"So we went to lunch with her and Alice convinced her not to sing Happy Birthday. But my two friends were waiting at our table. They even saved a seat for me, right between them. Edward came over and took charge again so that he sat next to me and Maggje sat on the other side."

"No offense, Bella," I say. "But how can you accuse _me _of being overprotective of Renesmee? For crying out loud! Your husband uses other people's minds as a kind of enhanced GPS to keep track of you, and then steps in whenever you have a problem. What do you call that?"

"Jacob," she says patiently. "If you had his powers wouldn't you do the same thing? Admit it. You would. Right? Case closed. Are you ready to hear my story?"

I grin back at her sheepishly. Of course, I would use every resource available to keep track of Renesmee. But every now and then I can't resist the urge to tease her about Edward. Luckily, she drops it and goes back to her story.

"Well," she says. "Emmett and Jasper decide that they need to come in as back up, so they bring some chairs over and sat with us. Maggie cuts the cake and we pretend to eat it. Jed and Kai really do eat it. When Emmett says he doesn't want his, Kai grabs it and throws it at Jed and yells, 'food fight,' like we're in _Animal House _or something."

"Hey!" I tease her. "No cracks about animals in houses."

She rolls her eyes and picks up the story.

"Well, Kai had really bad aim and hit Maggie. The place was going nuts and I got mad. So I kind of smacked Kai so hard that he flew half-way across the room and broke his arm."

"Hence the adrenalin rush," I say as I put the pieces together.

"More like a temper rush, but yeah, it was a stupid and impulsive act," she replies.

"So how much trouble _are_ you in? I ask.

"Not as much as I should be," I reply. "Edward, Alice, Carlisle and Esme laid it on so thick, you know about my Mom in prison and all that crap, that it looked like Mr. Griffin felt sorry for _me_ and was going to punish Kai."

"For starting the food fight?" I ask.

"Um, no, that's not all," she says. "I kind of called Jed and him stalkers because they were always chasing me around all the time. So I'm off the hook, but they're in trouble for harassing me, _as well as_ starting the food fight."

"Good," I say. "It's sounds like they had it coming to them."

"That's what Carlisle said," she answers. "But I know that Edward was listening to Mr. Griffin's thoughts so he can tell me what they were really thinking. I am still worried about Maggie. She was really upset because she thought that it was all her fault. I'm going to have to have a talk with her tomorrow and make her understand that it was those two idiots who are to blame."

"Well, you won't have to wait long for Edward," I say. "Because here comes the van again."

The van stops and Edward and Rosalie of all people get out. Of course, Renesmee isn't with them because she's at ballet. Edward walks over and bends down to give Bella a kiss. Then he sits down on the floor beside her chair and picks up her hand and holds it to his cheek.

I want to gag, but decide that Bella has had enough teasing for a while. Edward looks up at me and raises his eyebrows at the word tease, but doesn't say anything. He just looks happy as a clam as Bella takes her other hand and begins to run it through his hair. Uh, disgusting! He smirks at me.

"How are you, love?" he asks her gently. "We figured that you were telling Jacob all of your woes."

"Because Alice couldn't see me?" she asks.

"Why else?" asks Rosalie. "Don't worry, Bella. Your friend Maggie is going to be okay."

"She is?" she asks. "How do you know?"

"Because I spent all of sixth hour in the bathroom comforting her," she says.

"Sounds like you're going soft, Blondie," I comment.

"Not on you, mongrel," she snaps. "But I did feel bad for the poor kid. She's a real sweetheart. She's afraid that you won't want to be her friend anymore."

"That's ridiculous!" says Bella. "It wasn't her fault. She was trying to be nice and that little twerp Kai wrecked it for her. Edward, did you hear what she was thinking?"

"Well, I spent all of sixth hour listening to your meeting with Griffin," he says. "I think that he's glad that they finally stepped over the line. Ever since last year, they've been very careful not to push anything too far. But between the food fight and the way that they've been harassing you, he's got all the ammunition he needs to bring them up the disciplinary committee."

"Disciplinary committee?" she asks with a hard swallow.

"Yeah," he says. "That's where Griffin was afraid that he would have to bring you. He was actually looking for a way of getting you out of trouble. You know, the whole mother in jail, emotional abuse story really tugged at the old heartstrings. You did great baby."

"Thanks, I guess," she says. "But all I did was everything that Alice told me to do."

"It never hurts to listen to Alice," he replies.

"Except when she tells you to go to Volterra," I mutter.

"Shut up, dog or I'll neuter you!" Rosalie retorts.

"Can you two stop squabbling for more than five minutes at a time?" asks Bella.

"Only on Renesmee's birthday," answers Rosalie.

"That didn't last long," I say.

"Longer than five minutes," she says glowering at me. "Now this conversation is about Bella, not us."

"Taking the high road?" I ask.

"Hardly," snorts Edward. "But she's right. Now Bella, where were we?"

"What about seventh hour, Edward?" asks Bella. "Weren't you listening for Maggie then?"

"Well," he hedges. "Actually, I was listening to someone else's thoughts."

"Whose thoughts?" she asks.

"Um, there's this guy in my advanced algebra class, Tim Ryan," he says. "He's one of the big football stars. Anyway, before class he approached me to offer his condolences about the two jerks bugging you. Sorry, love, but the story is all over the school. He said that if Kai and Jed ever bother you again that he would squash them like bugs."

"I like this guy," I say, nodding in approval. "He's my kind of man."

"Well, he's not mine," answers Edward showing his annoyance. "He asked me if he could ask you to the Homecoming Dance. He thinks that you are very sweet and need protecting."

"Hah!" says Rosalie. "He's the one that needs protecting from her. I guess he didn't see Kai fly across the cafeteria."

"Well, that's another thing," says Edward. "The story has pretty much give viral through the whole school and been embellished to make it more exciting. The word now is that you flung him all the way across the room and he hit the wall."

"Actually," says Rosalie tossing her hair over her shoulder. "There is a crack in the wall, but it's from the soda can that Emmett flicked away before it could hit Alice."

"Maybe I should switch to homeschooling," Bella moans. "Everyone must think that I'm a monster."

"Actually," says Edward. "They think that you're a hero. Pauline came up to me after science to let me know that since fifth grade, the whole grade has been ready to kill them. Nobody likes Jed and Kai, and they are only too happy to see them get in trouble. They have been flying under the radar for a long time with their pranks and other foolishness."

"Pranks?" I ask.

"Well, no one can prove it," says Rosalie. "But last year someone jammed all the locks in the eighth grade wing by filling them with Gorilla Glue. They couldn't get into the classrooms until all the locks were replaced. Naturally the idiots were fingered, but nothing uh, stuck."

"Lame one," mutters Edward.

"Pretty swift, the glue trick I mean, your pun sucked," I admit. "I wish that I had thought of that when I was in school."

"Figures," mutters Rosalie.

"Yeah," says Edward. "But without proof they couldn't do anything. You can't charge someone with a crime because he's an idiot."

"Too bad," mutters Rosalie. "That would have put this mutt in jail years ago."

"What am I going to do about Tim?" asks Bella nervously. "I don't need another admirer chasing after me."

"You'll let him down easy," says Edward. "Like I said, I listened to his mind all through seventh hour and when he wasn't paying attention to the lesson, he was thinking about how to approach you without seeming like a stalker. He's proof that chivalry is not dead among humans."

"Really?" asks Rosalie. "That's . . . thoughtful. But I guess it makes sense. He is a junior."

"What does being a junior have to do with it?" I ask.

"Well, juniors are more mature than freshmen," answers Rosalie. "But half the girls in the sophomore class are in love with him. And some of them even have boyfriends. But his reputation is that he's a real nice guy, very respectful of the girls. Even when some of the school tramps have tried to throw themselves at him, he's let them down easily."

"So then why does he want to ask _me _to the dance?" asks Bella.

"It's kind of an honor thing. He wants to prove to you that all the guys in Whitehorse aren't jerks, my love," he says. "He feels sorry that you are so shy that you had to ask your brother to the Sadie Hawkins Dance."

"Yeah, the dance that I didn't even want to go to until Pauline asked you," says Bella bitterly. "I knew that nothing good could come from that."

"But I could tell through his thoughts that he's a real gentleman," says Edward. "He is focused on his academics and his sports. He is in French Immersion because his dream is to get a football or baseball scholarship to McGill University in Montreal. He wants to study international finance. His best shot of getting out of Whitehorse is to go to a place like McGill."

"I still don't see what he sees in me," Bella remarks.

"Do you even have to ask that?" I say. "You look like a freaking supermodel or something. What guy in the school wouldn't be drooling all over you? Other than the guys drooling all over Rosalie of course."

"Nice save, pup," says Edward.

"Well, if it's Tim's protective instincts that are driving this," answers Rosalie. "Then he wouldn't be interested in me. I can more than take care if myself. But poor, sweet, shy Bella is more attractive to the do-gooder types. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about that."

"What are you talking about?" asks Bella.

"Trust me, little sister," she says. "It's a lot easier to reject some loser approaching you with lust in his eyes than a decent guy looking for a proper date or a real relationship. But I agree with Edward, you really should let him down easy. He's still coming off of a big disappointment from this summer."

"Huh?" I ask.

"Tim Ryan had been dating the same girl since freshmen year when she asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance," Edward explains. "Her name was Julia. He was thinking about her in class and comparing her favorably with Bella."

"What happened to Julia?" asks Bella.

"Her father took a better job down in Edmonton," answers Edward. "She left Whitehorse in June. He still misses her. He planned on visiting her in a month for Canadian Thanksgiving. A few weeks ago she sent him an email telling him not to come. She has a new boyfriend.

"That, by the way, is why the girls were all throwing themselves at him, offering him 'comfort,' you might say. But none of them have been able to budge him. And by the way, Rosalie, even though he may have let them down easy, he still thinks of them as sluts and mutts. From what I can tell, he's been mooning over her ever since she dropped him."

"An email breakup," I say. "That's pretty cold."

"What can I say? Edward asks. "Girls can be cruel."

"Don't I know it?" I ask.

The three of them stare at me.

"Or cowardly," I add. "You know what I mean."

"So then it's kind of a risk for him to ask Bella to the dance?" asks Rosalie, not taking the bait for once.

"Not really," says Edward. "If you think about it, if she says no, he can always say that it's because she's so shy. Those are the odds he's playing with anyway. He doesn't want to get hurt again. And let's face it. He doesn't even really know Bella. He just wants to make sure that she doesn't fall prey to the wrong kind of guy."

"Where was he when you needed him in Forks?" I ask.

Bella shoves me so hard that I fall out of my chair.

"Ow! Bells! That hurt!" I complain.

"And just who was he going to protect me from?" asks Bella sweetly. "The vampire or the werewolf?"

"Can we please not go there again," says Rosalie. "Look, I'd love to sit here and yack with you guys all day about Bella's guy problems old and new and in some cases delusional, but I'm sure that Emmett is looking for me. I told him that I would only be here for a minute so that I could tell Bella about Maggie."

"I'm guessing that we captivated you with our scintillating conversation?" asks Edward with a smirk.

"Hardly," she says and storms off.

"What was that all about?" I ask.

"The issue of guys being attracted to Bella and not her tends to be a sore spot," replies Edward. "She has tried to convince herself with the 'not my type argument' many times, but she still can't quite accept it."

"She'll manage," I comment. "Rosalie knows that no matter who asks Bella out, she still every guy's wet dream."

"Even yours?" asks Edward.

"Are you kidding?" I snort. "What would I want with some ice-cold, rock hard Barbie doll?"

This time I manage to duck before Bella can hit me. We are all laughing when Carlisle pulls up and Renesmee comes bounding out of the car.

"Hi Jacob! Hi Momma! Hi Daddy!" she cries. "Is it true that Momma threw a kid through a wall in the cafeteria and made a huge hole?"

Carlisle follows her over and laughs at Bella's stunned face.

"I tried to tell her that it wasn't true," he says chuckling. "But a couple of the older girls in the dance school told her the story, as they had heard it, when they were coming in for class and she was going out."

"Is it true, Momma?" Renesmee persists.

"Of course not!" she says. "I just . . . um . . . smacked him."

"And?"

"He kind of um, flew across the room," she adds reluctantly.

"And?"

"And it broke his arm, okay? Are you happy now?" Bella snaps.

"I'm sorry, Momma," says Renesmee repentantly. "I didn't mean to tease. But it is kind of funny."

"Not to your Momma, Renesmee," I say.

She gives me a very funny look.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school or work or something?" Renesmee asks me sharply.

Edward snickers.

"I had the afternoon off," I say defensively. "And I have to leave for school in a little bit. Man, Bells! Thanks to you, I haven't finished my homework!"

_"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?" _asks Edward, reading the title of my book. "Do you know what that's about?"

"Not really," I admit. "All I know is that it doesn't have a whole hell of a lot to do with maintenance."

"No, it's a philosophy book," he muses. "That is _some kind_ of heavy machinery certificate that you are going to get with that on your reading list."

I growl at him.

"I have to get ready," I say. "It was great talking to you, Bells. Stop in again."

I kiss her cheek and then reach over to Renesmee.

"See you tomorrow, Renesmee," I say. "What would you like to do?"

Renesmee gives me what I can only call "attitude," tosses her head back like Rosalie does, and says, "I don't care!"

We all look after her as she stomps off to the car. Then the rest of us look at Edward, who looks like he wants to explode.

"Take her home, Carlisle," he says. "Bella and I will run up in a sceond."

Carlisle looks at him intently.

"Yes," says Edward so quickly that I barely catch it.

"What was that all about?" I ask, completely confused by what just happened.

As soon as the car is out of vampire earshot, Edward finally bursts out laughing.

"Renesmee is jealous that you just spent the afternoon talking with Bella!" He chortles.

"Wha-a-at?" I ask with my mouth hanging open.


	44. Growing Pains

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 43: Growing Pains**

When we arrive back up at the house, I leave the car, and Carlisle, behind and go rushing through the great room.

As I pass through I hear Alice ask, "Renesmee, how was your . . . ?"

Then I hear Auntie Rose say, "I'll go."

But I don't pay any attention. I continue until I reach my bedroom where I slam the door shut so hard that the whole wall shakes, and then lock it. There! That will keep them away. I throw myself onto my bed. I can feel the big hot tears behind my eyes and burning my throat. I punch my pillow and want to scream and then I realize that I don't even know why I am crying.

What's wrong with me? I was just rude to Carlisle and Alice for no reason at all. I'm mad, but I'm not even sure of why. I mean, what was the big deal? Momma and Daddy were just sitting with my Jacob on his fright porch laughing about something. Then I told them what I had heard about the boy getting hurt at school and Momma got upset because I was teasing,

But then, _my _Jacob all of the sudden defended her. And he kissed her on the cheek before she left. But all he said to me was "What do you want to do tomorrow?" like I'm some kind of little kid or something. He always talks to me like that. But now all of the sudden, it's bothering me.

I hear a knock on the door.

"Go away!" I yell.

"It's Auntie Rose."

"Go away!" I yell again, thinking "Is she deaf?"

I hear her trying the door handle.

"Renesmee," she says. "The door is locked."

"I know," I reply.

"I can't get in."

"Go away!" I yell louder.

Then I hear voices in the hallway outside the door.

"What is it, Rose?" asks Momma.

"She's upset about something, but she locked the door," says Auntie Rose.

"Renesmee, it's Momma, please open the door," says Momma.

"Go away!" I yell and punch my pillow.

What is their problem? What part of "go" and "away" don't they understand?

"She's upset about Jacob," says Daddy from the other side of the door.

"What has that mutt done now?" asks Auntie Rose.

"I'm not deaf!" I yell out. "Go away and talk about me behind my back where I can't hear you!"

"That's it," says Momma. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, you will open this door now or I will break it down!"

"Bella that won't help," says Daddy. "She's upset because Jacob is treating her like a little girl."

"Get out of my head!" I scream. "Why can't I have any privacy? I can't lock my door! I can't think without you listening to my thoughts! Go away and leave me alone!"

Now I am crying into my pillow and punching the bed so hard that I feel like I might break the frame. There's a part of looking at myself and wondering why I'm throwing a tantrum like I'm two years old.

And there's another part that remembers that when I was two I never threw a single tantrum. In fact, I have never lost my temper like this before. But maybe that's because everyone has always given me everything that I wanted.

Suddenly I hear a loud clicking noise and sit up. The door opens, and Daddy is standing there.

"Thanks for breaking my door!" I say sarcastically.

"I didn't break it," he says mildly. "I picked the lock. Vampires are good at that."

"Vampires are good at everything!" I say in frustration and flop back on the bed.

"Renesmee, I would like to speak with you," he says in a normal tone of voice.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" I ask. "Do you want to ask me questions? Why don't you just listen to what I'm thinking and leave me alone?"

He looks away and sighs.

"I _have_ been listening to what you are thinking and that's why I want to talk to you," he says patiently. "I know why you're so upset and I want to help you."

"You can help me if you go away," I offer, pretending to say it nicely.

"Renesmee," he says. "Will you please listen? I love you very much and I want to help."

"You can _help_ by going away," I say sharply, and turn my back to him.

"Enough!" says Carlisle's voice from the doorway. "Young lady, you are yelling loud enough to be heard all the way back to Whitehorse. Now you will stop being rude, turn yourself around, and talk to us."

"Why should I?" I ask and don't budge an inch.

"Because I said so," says Carlisle sternly.

"That's not a reason," I say.

"It's all the reason that you need or you will be grounded for a week," he says. "You will go to school and dance class and that is it. Do you understand me?"

"You're not my father!" I say defiantly. "You can't ground me!"

"This is ridiculous!" says Edward. "We're getting nowhere! Renesmee, you are being completely irrational! What's wrong with you? This just isn't normal."

"Yes, it is," says a soft voice from the doorway as Esme walks in.

Everyone turns to look at her.

"Everything that Renesmee is doing is completely normal for a girl her age," she continues. "You all have gotten so used to her behaving like a little adult, that you forgot that she was still a little girl. And now, she is a little girl growing up."

"But Esme . . . " says Daddy.

"You are asking all the wrong questions," she continues. "You can't ask Renesmee what's wrong with her because she doesn't know. And she is right when she says that you should give her some privacy, Edward. You should."

"Uh," says Daddy, as he and Carlisle look at each other.

"You two need to leave," says Esme firmly. "This is just a little girl talk between Renesmee and me."

"Esme," says Daddy. "Shouldn't Bella be talking to her about this?"

"No," she says. "Bella asked me to talk to her. Right now she is very upset. I think that you should go talk to her. You too, Carlisle."

For the first time in my life, I see Carlisle and Daddy give in. If I still weren't so mad at them, I would laugh at the looks on their faces. At the moment, nothing seems funny to me. But they do what they are told and once they are gone, Esme sits down on the side of the bed next to me and brushes my hair back.

"Are those angry tears or sad tears?" she asks quietly.

"Angry tears," I say right away. "No, sad. No, I don't know."

Then I start crying again. I put my head down in her lap and just cry and cry while she strokes my head. Finally, the tears are almost all gone and I start to gulp them back. I'm ready to talk now. I don't know what to say, but I am ready to talk.

"Feel better?" asks Esme.

"Not really," I admit. "I just feel tired and drained."

"You've had a lot to think about these past few days," she says. "Some of it has been good and some of it has been not so good. Do you want to tell me about the not so good?"

"Why don't you just ask Daddy?" I say. "He knows every single thought in my head."

"Because I'm asking you," she says. "And remember that your Daddy doesn't know every single thought in your head, not unless you touch his cheek."

"That's why I don't do that anymore," I reply. "I don't want everyone to know my business."

"Your business?" she asks, trying to hide a smile. "Where did you hear an expression like that?"

"From Emma," I say. "She says that her Mom is always going through her stuff so that she can know her business. I almost said that she was lucky it was only her stuff. My Daddy goes through your mind."

"Well, it was a good thing that you stopped yourself before you said that," she says. "But where did you pick up that fresh mouth from?"

"What fresh mouth?" I ask. "Everyone at school talks like that . . . Well, not to the teachers. But they say that I do it better than anyone else."

"Why do you think that is?" she asks as if she really doesn't want to know the answer.

"Because that's the way everyone at home talks, except for you and Carlisle," I explain. "But you can't because you're the parents. But it's cool. That's what everybody at school says. That's how the kids talk on TV, which I'm not allowed to watch. And I want to be cool too."

"Well, it may be cool, but it is also rude," she says. "Back when I was a little girl, it was called sassing your parents."

"Oh," I say.

"It must be a little confusing for you right now," she remarks.

"What must be confusing?" I ask suspiciously.

"Well, Bella and Edward are your parents at home, but outside the house they are your sister and brother," she says. "And Carlisle and I are your parents outside the house, but because Carlisle is the leader of the coven, it means that he makes all final decisions for the family."

"Is that why can he ground me?" I ask.

"Yes! But he would also never discipline you in any way unless he thought that your father would agree," she says. "It's complicated and that's why you must feel confused."

"I guess so," I shrug and then look away from her, as she sighs.

"Renesmee," she finally says kindly. "Carlisle told me that when he picked you up at dance class you were perfectly happy. Then, after you got to Jacob's you suddenly became hostile. Do you know why that is?"

"Not really . . . well, maybe kinda sorta," I say.

"Kinda sorta?" she asks. "Why don't you explain to me what happened. And then we can figure out how it made you feel. Do you want to do that?"

"Okay," I say unwillingly. "If we do that, will you leave me alone?"

"If you are trying to test my patience," answers Esme calmly. "You are going to find that it is infinite. On daily basis I deal with six teenagers and a husband who is constantly questioning the meaning of life. Trust me. You are going to have to do a lot better than 'leave me alone.'"

"Oh," I say. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad doesn't exactly describe it," she replies. "But stop stalling. Start by telling me what happened when you got out of the car."

"When I got out of the car, I ran over to tell Momma that I heard that she threw a kid through a wall," I reply. "And it made a big hole."

"Which Carlisle had already told you wasn't true," she adds.

"Yeah, but . . . " I begin.

"Yeah, but, you thought that it would be funny to tell her anyway," she says. "Do you know what a bratty little sister is?"

"Yes," I say reluctantly. "My friend Becca has two."

"Well, even though you were home, and didn't have to play at the human charade anymore," she says. "You were behaving like a bratty little sister. And more than that, you hurt her feelings. She was very upset by what she did. Just like you were upset when you got detention, remember?"

"Oh," I say. "I didn't think of that."

"I know," she says. "If you had thought of it then you wouldn't have said it, right?"

I don't say anything, but I nod.

"Then what happened?" she asks.

"Then my Jacob told me to stop teasing her like I was some kind of little kid or something," I said. "And I don't know why, but it made me mad."

"Was it because he was taking your Momma's side?" she asks.

"No, not really," I admit. "It was more the way he said it. You know, he sounded like he was my Daddy or something."

"You didn't like that?" she asks.

"Would you like it if four adults ganged up on you?" I ask defensively.

"No I wouldn't like it at all," she says. "And I especially wouldn't like it if I knew that they were right."

"So then you understand how I feel?" I ask.

"Not entirely," she replies. "Why did you go stomping off to the car?"

I look away again. This is kind of embarrassing.

"What is it?" she asks gently.

"I felt kind of . . . upset, when Jacob kissed Momma on the cheek," I admit. "And then he talked to me like I was a little kid again."

"What do you mean by upset?" she asks softly.

"Do I have to say it?" I ask.

"It will be better if you do," she answers.

"Okay, I was jealous," I say. "Because sometimes when Momma and Jacob are together and laughing it's like they have some kind of a secret joke."

"And you feel left out?" she asks with a smile.

"Uh-huh," I say.

"You should talk to your Daddy about that some time," she says. "I think that you will discover that he feels the same way occasionally."

"He does?" I ask surprised. "But he and Momma are married. And I know that she loves him more than anyone else in the whole, wide world, even me."

"That's true," she said. "But while your Momma was still human, she and Jacob were best friends. And they shared a lot of experiences that didn't include your Daddy. But that's how it is in life. Especially if you haven't been around for every second of the other person's life."

"Did Momma know Jacob before she met Daddy?" I ask. "I mean Billy and Grandpa Charlie are best friends. So they must have known each other as kids."

"They did," she says. "But they didn't really become friends until your Momma moved back to Forks later."

"Oh," I say. "I don't get it."

"I can see that," says Esme. "I guess your Momma hasn't told you that story. Well, it's not my story. It's hers. And we are not really talking about her and Jacob anyway, are we?"

"Can't we?" I ask hopefully.

"No," she says. "I think that we need to talk about _you _and Jacob."

"What do we need to talk about?" I ask.

"Well, why don't we start with the fact that you were jealous of your Momma and Jacob, but you don't know why," she says. "And then I believe that you were also feeling jealous when Jacob spent the afternoon with Aurora on Saturday."

"I never said . . . " I say. "Daddy was picking through my brain again."

"Yes," she smiles. "That's an expression that you picked up from Jacob, isn't it? Maybe you would rather talk to your Daddy about it. Since he already knows."

"No way!" I say. "I'll talk to you."

"And you are mixed up about that too?" she asks.

"Yeah, well," she says. "I know that Jacob shouldn't have to spend all his time waiting for me to come home. And I know that I shouldn't expect him to always be there whenever I want him. But, well, why couldn't he make some guy friends? Why did he have to go and make a _girl _friend?"

"She's not his girlfriend," she says.

"I know," I say. "But she can be, and I can't."

"Got it," she says. "Do you remember how, when we were back in Forks, you got scared because Jacob said something about you having to stay there because you were going to get married someday?"

"Yes, that's kind of hard to forget," I say.

"For me too," she says. "The point was clearly made at that time that the whole idea scared you and that you just wanted him to be your best friend. Now, isn't he your best friend, and I mean better even than Celine?"

"Of course," I say. "He's my Jacob."

"Yes, he is," she says. "And as long as you are a little girl or even a bigger girl, he has certain boundaries that he has to respect. And he does. You don't have to worry about that. But You really can't call him 'my Jacob' except when it is only family around, and you have to realize that if you call him your special friend or anything like that, the humans are going to think it's . . . um, creepy."

"Oh," I say. "Ohhhh . . . "

"Do you understand what I am talking about?" she asks. "Jacob and all the rest of us could get in an awful lot of trouble if the humans think that he is anything more than a family friend. Now, knowing this, does it make more sense that he treats you like a child?"

"I guess," I say. "You're right. This is all very confusing. I feel bad that I was just mean to everyone."

"Well that's good," she says. "Now this is something that I believe is the time for you to understand, but it is a conversation that you need to have with Jacob and your parents. I think that it will help you to understand your feelings a lot better. You are at a very hard time in your growing up.

"You are basically changing from being a girl to being a woman. And that's hard, because some days you wake up and you feel very mature and others you just want to be a little kid."

"And sometimes you want to be both at the same time," I say.

"This is true," she agrees.

"Esme, do you think that I have a crush on Jacob?" I ask.

All of the sudden she gets this really funny look on her face like she knows the answer but doesn't want to tell me.

"I think that you should talk to your parents about that," she says.

"Okay," I say. "Esme, what do real parents do when they don't want to answer your questions?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know that you're here because you're kind of being my mother," I say. But every time I ask a really _hard _question, you tell me to ask my parents. So what do real parents do?"

She thinks for a minute and then smiles.

"I can't be entirely sure of this," she says. "But I think that they say that you will understand when you get older."

Now it's my turn to think

"I think that you're right," I say.

"And why is that?"

"Because that's what Momma and Daddy say when they don't want to answer my questions," I say.

Esme laughs. Then I laugh. And before I know it, we are both laughing. Then she gets up and holds out her hand.

"Let's go downstairs so that your Daddy can stop relaying our conversation to the rest of the family," she says. "That way you can speak for yourself."

"You know," I say. "It really sucks that he can do that."

"Tell me about it," she says. "I've been living with it for over eighty years."

I get up and we smile at each other.

"Did you hear that, Daddy?" I say. "I said it sucks that you can spy on my brain."

As we walk down toward the great room we can hear the conversation.

"Where did she learn language like that?" Daddy is asking someone.

"Probably from you all," says Carlisle.

"Man, that really sucks," says Emmett.

Esme and I look at each other and giggle. I love my family, even when they piss me off.

"Renesmee . . . " yells Daddy.

"Stop picking through my brain," I say as we enter the room. "Or you're going to hear a lot more words I learned from you guys. And then Carlisle can ground you for corrupting my youth."

"What did she just think?" asks Emmett eagerly.

"Just shut up, Emmett," says Daddy.

_Shameless Plug: If you haven't found my one shot "New Moon Rewound," look it up. See if you agree with the way that I've rewritten it._


	45. Ups and Downs

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: To really "get" where I am getting the tone of the tomfoolery at the high school from in these next couple of chapters, I recommend that you read Stephanie Meyers unpublished draft of _Midnight Sun, _which is the Twilight story told form Edward's perspective. _

_She only got through a few chapters before the draft was released online. I would like to take credit for some of the creative humor in these chapters, but I was inspired by that work._

**Chapter 44: Ups and Downs**

"Bella!" calls Alice. "Won't you _please _come out for your party?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Alice?" I reply trying not to yell the way Renesmee did a couple of hours ago. "I've had enough birthday for one day. And tell Edward not to pick the lock. I just want to be alone for awhile."

I think that we've had enough drama for one night. Welcome to the adolescent years, Mom! That's what Emmett said as he laughed at me about the earlier dust up with my daughter. Yeah, and it's mostly thanks to him that she is developing a potty mouth worthy of a locker room.

About the only good thing that I can see is that with Renesmee's accelerated growth, her adolescence should be more abbreviated than the average human's. Most mothers get to have "the talk" about sex. But I get to have "the talk" about imprinting.

What is that old expression? When it rains it pours? Well, welcome to my life. Just two days ago, everything seemed so happy and perfect. My daughter had her first surprise birthday party with kids her own age (sort of). And she was cast as Clara in _The Nutcracker. _Everything was going well in school. Renesmee had the perfect birthday, while mine (as usual) was a disaster.

I should have known when I walked into school and Maggie cheerfully greeted me with a "Happy Birthday," that I should have just called up Esme and made her take me home. But no, I had to be nice about it. Everything was okay up until we reached the actual birthday stuff that involved cake. When we saw Kai and Jed at our lunch table, we should have just gone to another one. So many poor little choices adding up to one huge disaster!

Poor Maggie. They used her cake to start a food fight, and then I landed up in the principal's office for breaking Kai's arm by throwing him across the cafeteria. Maggie ended up crying in the bathroom with Rosalie, of all people, to comfort her.

I got home and was finally relaxed after chilling out with Jacob, when Edward got home to let me know that I have a new admirer who wants to take me to the Homecoming Dance. Great! I thought that the icing on the cake was when Renesmee threw a hissy fit because Jake and I were laughing together, but no.

She is going through full-blown adolescent angst and doesn't understand why she feels like she has a "crush" on Jacob and is jealous of every woman that comes within ten feet of him, including me. So tomorrow, Edward, Jacob, and I are going to sit down with her and finally explain why she and Jacob have always been such good buddies.

As I am sitting and stewing over it all I hear a knock on the door.

"Can I come in and say goodnight, Momma?" asks Renesmee sweetly. "I'll understand if you tell me to go away, but I promise that I won't say anything else."

Damn, I hate it when she does that. Not that I didn't used to do the same thing to Renee. No better way to get your way with Momma other than a good old-fashioned guilt trip. But I am not sure that Renesmee is being as manipulative about it as I was, so I go over, unlock the door, and open it. She throws her arms around me.

"I'm sorry that your birthday kind of . . . uh, stunk," she says, covering up what she meant to say, which was "sucked." "I'm going to say goodnight and Daddy's going to put me to bed."

"Okay, baby," I say as I kiss the top of her head. "You have a good night's sleep."

"I will," she says. "And it's safe to leave the door unlocked. Daddy kicked everyone out of our part of the house. And if you don't want to see him, he will just stay in the living room."

Knowing that Edward can hear my reaction through Renesmee's mind, I decide to respond.

"It's okay, sweetie," I sigh. "I'm not mad at Daddy. Tell him that he can come back into our room when he is done putting you to bed."

"Okay, Momma!" she says and scampers off to her room.

"You owe me ten dollars, Daddy," I hear her say.

I pick up my iPad and and start to flip through my iBooks to find something to read. When Edward walks in, I look up at him.

"Resorting to bribery to use her to soften me up?" I ask mildly.

"Actually, she saw a bracelet in the Trading Post on Sunday that she wants to buy," he explains. "I was going to give her the money anyway, but I had her ask you so that she would think that she was earning it."

"You knew that I would let you come in anyway," I reply. "Bribery by any other name still stinks."

"Alice knew," he admits.

"Then why didn't Alice know that I wasn't coming down for whatever she had planned for my birthday?" I ask drily.

"She knew," he says with a smile. "But she was hoping that you would surprise her and change your mind at the last minute. Emmett and Jasper had a bet on whether you would or not."

"Who won?" I ask.

"Emmett. Jasper only sided with Alice out of loyalty," he replies. "For the record, I told her not to harass you."

"I'm sure that you did," I sigh. "But I'm sure that you also realized that I would let you in without Alice telling you."

"I did," he says. "Bella, I know how you feel about birthdays and gifts and all that, but I have something special for you that I've been planning to give you for a long time. But instead of thinking of it as a birthday gift, think of it as a comfort gift. It's another one of the pieces of my mother's jewelry. But if you can't accept it graciously now, I'll understand and save it for a better time."

"This really means a lot to you," I say, but I'm really asking.

"I want it to be special," he answers simply. "And since I've been waiting over a hundred years to give it to you, I figured that a few more hours wouldn't matter."

"A few more hours?"

"In three hours it will be midnight and therefore, no longer your birthday," he replies. "But right now it's after midnight in Toronto, so I figured that I would give it shot."

"Of course, I'll accept it graciously," I answer with a smile. "We'll just pretend that we're in Toronto."

How can I not? Especially, when he is going out of his way to be sensitive to my mood. And of course he was in no way responsible for today's debacle. In fact, he did everything that he could to help me. And when he is in one of these sentimental moods, I hate to ruin it for him.

Edward knows how much I hate it when he spends money on me. So instead, at various points in time in our marriage, he has dug into his mother's jewelry collection that she left him and given me a piece. He says that he figures that if he only saves them for the most important occasions, he can stretch it out for at least another decade. He comes back with a flat velvet box. This time it's a necklace.

"My mother used to wear this almost every day," he says. "And I don't see why you can't either. It will make me feel better to know that you're wearing it every time some boy decides to ask you out. Even if I can't publicly claim to be yours, the necklace will help me remember it.

"I thought it was a comfort gift," I say wryly. "Not a territorial claim."

"It is a comfort gift," he answers with a little smile. "For both of us."

"It's a pity we can't wear our wedding rings to school," I say wistfully. "That would solve a lot of problems."

"These days," he comments. "I don't think it would make a bit of difference. In fact, it might even make the challenge more interesting for a few of our lewder minds."

"You're probably right, and it would only . . . " I have to stop when I open the box.

Inside is laying a beautiful pearl necklace made up of perfectly matched pearls. It looks like it is about ten inches long. The clasp is set with diamonds. It is gorgeous and like all of the pieces that he has given me, in pristine condition. He is right. I can wear it every day and with pretty much anything.

"Do you like it?" he asks when I don't say anything.

"I don't like it, Edward," I say as his face falls. "I love it!"

His face relaxes into a beautiful smile and he exhales. I lean forward so that I can kiss him and he takes me in his arms and holds me tighter. Suddenly, my pretty rotten birthday is turning into something a lot better. He picks me up in his arms and carries me over to the bed so that we can really celebrate.

Our celebration slowly draws to a close as the sun rises turning the sky rad.

"It's going to be another beautiful day here," says Edward. "Nice and cloudy and rainy."

"Perhaps for the weather forecast," I grimace. "But not in my life."

"Don't be silly," he says, as he hops out of bed. "It's still too early to wake up Renesmee, why don't we go for a walk?"

"Okay," I say.

I dress myself with a little (very little) more attention to my outfit. I have a midnight blue cashmere sweater set. The pullover has a rounded neck and hugs my curves nicely. I pick out a pair of dress jeans and blue flats to match the sweater. Then I put on the cardigan.

Unwillingly, I take off my rings, but put on my charm bracelet. Over the years, Edward has added several charms. Only one is new and not from his mother's collection, but I had no objection to him buying it. It is a gold heart inset with a sapphire in one side and the word "Momma" engraved on the other. He did the "engraving" himself in his own beautiful script.

"You look lovely," he says softly when I come out of the bathroom. "I love it when you wear your hair lose."

Normally I do the practical thing and ponytail it, only slipping the hair tie out when I need to hide my face. It also makes me less noticeable, since the flowing brown hair is nearly as perfect as Rosalie's. Unlike her, I prefer not to call attention to myself. But today I am dressing for my husband and he knows it. I smile as he comes over to kiss me and run his hands through it.

"You look pretty hot yourself," I reply.

He always looks hot, but never more so than when he's trying to impress me. He's wearing a pair of black jeans with black boots, a grey long-sleeved tee shirt, and a black leather motorcycle jacket. I still have the one that he bought for me while I was human, but I hardly ever wear it. It's a little too flashy for me.

We leave the house, and run, not walk over to the spot where the Yukon River cuts across the property. When we get there, we leap across and sit on the rocks on the other side.

"I am not looking forward to our conversation with Renesmee this afternoon," I say.

"I'm just surprised that we are having it when she is still so young, I mean in her development," he says. "You know, she hasn't really hit puberty yet."

"Carlisle said that there is no way to know what normal hormonal changes there may be for her," I reply. "And Rosalie reminded me that girls develop an interest in boys at all different ages. If it wasn't for Jacob, she might have a crush on a boy in her class, but that would be easier to deal with."

"True," he agrees. "It would be much easier for her to understand if she was jealous of another little girl. Or if the boy ignored her, as boys that age will do. This is a whole different ballpark."

"No kidding," I mutter. "It would be nice if we knew the home rules."

"But we don't," he says. "So we will just have to make them up as we go along and hope that we don't make any mistakes."

"But we will," I sigh.

"Why do you say that?" he asks me.

"Because all parents make mistakes," I say, but he doesn't answer.

Instead, he leans back so that his head is in my lap and I can play with his hair. It doesn't feel like we are sitting there for very long, when the sun noticeably shifts position. He looks at his watch and frowns.

"We really need to move," he says. "We are so far north up here that the sun travels much more slowly across the horizon because it doesn't rise as far."

But speed is never a problem for vampires. When we get to the house, we find that Esme has already gotten Renesmee up and ready for school. We have plenty of time to get our own backpacks and get into the van on time.

"Thanks for taking care of Renesmee, Esme," I say. "We didn't plan on being gone so long."

"You should be thanking me for telling her that you weren't going to be back in time," pouts Alice, no doubt still bothered by my uncooperative behavior last night.

But before she can say anything else, Rosalie notices my necklace.

"That is stunning!" she says. "Edward, your mother certainly had some amazing pieces of jewelry."

"Isn't that a little rich for a foster kid?" asks Emmett.

"Well, everyone knows that yesterday was Bella's birthday," says Rosalie logically, as I wince remembering the reason why. "And they know that the family isn't exactly poor. All Bella had to say is that it was a birthday gift. If anyone presses the matter any further, she can say it was a gift from Carlisle and Esme."

"Why can't it be from Daddy?" asks Renesmee.

"Because fourteen-year old boys don't go around giving fourteen-year old girls a fabulous necklace like that," answers Rosalie. "At that age, it is definitely more of a gift that a girl would get from her parents."

"You would know," says Emmett.

Rosalie's face falls.

"I did get a necklace like that from my parents," she says quietly. "But I got it for my sixteenth birthday."

After that, no one says anything. We silently get in the van and drive to school. While Renesmee's coming has helped Rosalie to resolve many of her difficulties with her transformation, losing her parents and brothers is still a tender spot. Even the knowledge that they died a while ago doesn't completely erase the sadness. Before we get out of the van at school, Emmett speaks.

"Look, Rose," he says. "I'm sorry that I was an insensitive jerk before. I'd say that I will never do it again, but you know I will."

"So do I," says Alice.

We all laugh, including Rosalie.

As Emmett politely helps her out of the van, Edward says, "Don't even consider it!"

"Was I?" asks Rosalie.

"I saw you," answers Alice.

Sighing she walks away to her first class with Jasper tagging along. By all the rules of the charade, as her twin brother, he should be the one to comfort her. Alice and I separate from Edward and Emmett to go to math.

"Alice," I say. "Do you see when Tim Ryan is going to approach me?"

"Tim isn't your problem right now," she says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You'll see," she says cryptically, with a little smirk.

When we walk into math class I do see. We are almost late because of the Rosalie drama in the parking lot and everyone else is there, which is pretty surprising since it's a first hour class. When we enter the room, I get a standing ovation, including a few whistles and catcalls. I immediately duck so that my hair falls over my face and make my way to my desk. I slouch down and the girl sitting behind me pokes me in the back.

"Sorry about that, Swan," she whispers. "We had a short debate because we know that you're so shy, but everyone just wanted to show their appreciation to you for getting Kai and Jed suspended."

I peek out from under my hair and steal a look at their empty seats. Fortunately M. Gardner is more interested in beginning class than in my adventure the day before, so nothing else can be said until after class. As soon as the bell rings, Alice is at my side.

"This is going to be happening all day," she whispers.

I moan and then realize that there is a nice looking, clean-cut kid at my side.

"Hi! You are Bella Swan," he says in perfect Parisian French. "My name is Guy Michaud. I was wondering if you and your sister would like an escort to our Canadian History class."

"Why would we want that?" I ask him.

"Well, you have become the campus celebrity since the incident yesterday with Kai and Jed," he says. "There are many people who will try and stop you to say thank you."

"Okay," says Alice. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Huh?" I say quickly to Alice.

"It will save Edward a trip downstairs," she says. "And it's just a walk."

Guy was right. More than a few students try to stop us, but he calmly and politely moves them aside. Just when I am thinking that it is a good idea that he escorted us, we enter the classroom and he follows me to my desk. Alice gives me a frantic look, but doesn't have time to say anything.

"Thank you very much, Guy," I say gratefully. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"Anything for a lady in distress," he says, with a slight bow. "I know that you are attending the dance on Saturday with your brother. But I was wondering if you would come to the Homecoming Dance with me."

"I, um, don't even know you," I say fumbling over my words in French.

"Then perhaps we can have lunch together and then it will be more appropriate fir me to ask?" he asks. "Please?"

"I'm sorry, " I say quickly. "But after yesterday, I really need to have lunch with my lab partner, you know, Maggie. I think she still feels bad about yesterday."

"That is very kind of you to think of your friend," he says. "I will not intrude. Perhaps another day."

Not if I can help it, I think. I slump into my chair and glare at Alice, who shrugs. It was obviously a last minute decision on his part. And I thought that Tim Ryan was my only problem! Why does it have to be these genuinely nice boys that I have to disappoint? It is so much easier to just chase off Kai and Jed.

When class is over, Alice is waiting at my desk again.

"Last minute decision," she says rapidly.

"Tell that to Edward," I grumble.

"I already have," she answers.

And who is waiting at the door? Edward. He has a congenial look on his face, but he isn't laughing.

"Hello, my sisters," he says. "May I escort you to class?"

"Yes, please," I say, thankful for his mind reading ability (for once).

"Next time I'm not sure that I should let you dress up like this," he says quickly. "There are at least a dozen freshmen who now imagine that they are in love with you. Word has already gotten around about Guy's gentlemanly gesture, and your appreciation. It's keeping them under control, but not for long."

"Lovely," I groan.

"My class is down the hall from here," he says. "I can take you to English."

"I see Jasper and Emmett walking us to the cafeteria," Alice chimes in.

"Good," says Edward. "I will pick up Maggie from her history class and make sure that she gets there unscathed."

"Why would anyone bother Maggie?" I ask.

"Unfortunately," he says grimly. "Maggie is now very popular. She is seen as the best route to you."

"Poor Maggie!" says Alice.

"She hates the attention as much as you do, Bella," says Edward. "She is waiting in the lab to talk to you now."

We walk in and Maggie looks up gladly. I walk over right away and forgetting my body temperature, give her a hug. Unfortunately, she feels the cold even through my two sweaters.

"Are you sure that you don't need another sweater, Bella?" she asks in concern. "You feel like you're freezing."

"I am a little cold," I admit. "How are you?"

"Not so bad," she says. "Your big sister, Rosalie, was very sweet. And last night my Dad was working so Aurora stayed with us. I talked to her for a long time. She was very comforting."

"I'm sure she was," I reply.

But there is no more time to talk because class is starting. At the end, Alice bounds over our table and drags us over to Edward who is standing at the door.

"Evasive action," she whispers to me, and I turn around to see the disappointed face of another potential suitor.

After Edward walks us to class, he turns to Maggie and says," My class is across the hall from yours. Let's walk together."

"How do you know that?" she is asking as they walk away.

Alice giggles.

"I wish I could hear Mr. Know-it-all get himself out of that one," she says.

"I'm sure that he won't have any problem," I remark.

"I know he won't, but I would still like to hear it," she replies.

I just smile and shake my head. Knowing that we will remain "safe" until lunch sets my mind at ease. And once we get to lunch, I am not worried about the Cullen cohort keeping me safe. At the end of class, just as Alice predicted, Emmett and Jasper meet us at the door. Emmett has a mischievous look on his face and Alice hisses at him.

"Sorry, sis, crime of opportunity," he says quickly and quietly, as I notice a good looking boy in a varsity jacket standing behind Jasper looking at me expectantly.

"Bella," says Jasper, with an equally mischievous glint in his eye. "I would like to introduce you to Tim Ryan. He's in our French class and wanted to meet you."

I smile nervously and hide behind my hair.

"Hi!" I whisper.

"Hello," he says gently. "I'm Tim. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," I repeat.

He fall a into step beside me and asks, "It must very intimidating coming to high school for the very time."

"Very," I agree.

"I'm about your little problem with those two kids yesterday," he says kindly. "I hope that you don't think that all the kids here are like that."

"I don't," I answer truthfully.

"May I?" he asks politely as he opens the door to the cafeteria for me.

Suddenly I am grateful for my three bodyguards. The place erupts into all kinds of clapping and cheering.

Then someone begins the chant "Bella! Bella!"

Even Emmett doesn't think this is funny. He yells out in his booming voice.

"Cut it out! Leave the poor kid alone!"

He and Jasper strike a menacing pose that knocks the kids back a notch. Tim merely steps in front of me and looks protective. The room quiets down as Emmett and Jasper high five each other.

"Show offs," mutters Alice.

We go over to the lunch line to meet Rosalie who lifts her eyebrows when she sees Tim. But she doesn't say anything as Edward and Maggie step in behind us.

"Sounds like we missed some excitement," comments Edward.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," says Maggie. "This is all . . . "

"No it's not," says Tim in comforting voice. "I was just telling Bella that she shouldn't judge the whole student body based on Kai and Jed. I think that the others were just showing their support for you, perhaps a little over enthusiastically, but they meant well."

"Yeah," says the large football player behind Edward in English. "It's time those two little ass wipes got what was coming to them."

"Vince, please," says Tim. "You're not in a locker room, there are ladies present."

Maggie and I look at each other in surprise. I don't know if it's because of Vince's crudeness or Tim's reaction to his language.

"Tim is the class on the team," says Vince. "Hey man, why don't you mind your manners and introduce me to your new friend."

"Vince, this is Bella Swan," he says reluctantly. "Bella, this is Vince Paglicacci, captain of the football team and quarterback."

"Glad to meet you, Bella," he says. "What are you, like, a vegetarian or something?"

He is looking at my salad.

"Yes," I whisper and look at Edward for help, but he just smirks at me.

Alice takes pity on me and says, "Come on, Bella. Let's go sit near the others."

"May I join, you?" asks Tim politely.

"Yes of course," she says. "Because you asked nicely."

"Can I . . . " begins Vince.

_"You _need to learn some manners," she says giving him a little push away. "Come on Bella and Maggie."

She turns on her heel and walks away as Vince stands staring at her, with his mouth gaping open."

"Whoa, Vince!" says another football player, slapping him on the back. "Tackled by a midget!"

"Here, allow me," says Tim, taking my tray from my hands.

I silently follow him over to the table and automatically sit down next to Edward. Tim sits on my other side and looks pleasantly at my husband. Edward gives him a friendly smile in return.

"Thanks for taking care of my sister," he says.

"My pleasure," replies Tim, as I stomp as hard as I can on Edward's foot.

Great! Now my husband is playing the "let's see how many times we can humiliate Bella" game. I wonder if Pauline is close by.


	46. Winners and Losers

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 45: Winners and Losers**

_Edward! What the hell do you think you're doing?_

Alice's mental voice comes blasting through my mind over the din of the other minds that I am trying to listen to. I shrug and give her a smirk. She turns her back to me and begins talking to Maggie who is sitting next to her.

_Maggie is supposed to be sitting next to Bella!_

I really wish she wouldn't do that. I didn't start the seating arrangement, I git to the table first. But my wife is obviously so overwhelmed that she sat down next to me. (For protection? From the perfect gentleman? He's like some guy, from well, my time.)

And of course Tim sat down beside Bella. Now Alice, for some reason, is sitting on the other side of Tim and Maggje is beside her. Maybe she decided that it would be too much for Maggie to have to choose between sitting beside Tim or me. That was thoughtful of her, I think. Whatever she is thinking about that, she is shielding it from me.

Life at high school hasn't been so interesting since the last year and a half at Forks High School after Bella came. I can vividly remember those early days when I was in an almost perpetual state of angst. Okay, revise that. I _was _in a perpetual state of angst that Bella might actually be interested in one of those dull human boys. Back in those days, Mike Newton came very close to losing his life on a number of occasions.

It wasn't until she actually said yes to me that I began to relax around the other boys. There were those who still lusted after her, but none of them bother me as much as Newton did. He spent a lot of his time, even when he was with Jessica trying to think of ways of somehow discrediting me in Bella's eyes, or getting her away from me. He never could of course, but it still rankled. Now a cacophony of voices assaults my mind.

_What? No way! After two months of ignoring every girl in town Tim is going after little Bella Swan, the Cullen foster kid!_

Glad that one doesn't know the cover story about Bella's Mom being in prison.

_Swift move, Ryan, nice piece of ass!_

I wish I could identify that one.

_Who would have believed that all those adopted kids could be so gorgeous?_

I've heard that before.

_I'll never be able to compete with that._

Nothing new. Come on guys! Can't you be more original?

_I was afraid that Eddie might have a secret thing for Bella because he's taking her to the dance. I guess not._

The last voice is Pauline's. I hope that we're having another lecture today in science.

_At least she's taking her brother to Sadie Hawkins. I can't believe that Tim has said no to every other girl._

Yes, he has, you insensitive idiot. That's where he lost his heart to Julia.

_If Tim can get a date with Bella, maybe I can ask Alice, and we can double._

Hmm. I'll have to tell Jasper about that one. Then maybe he won't think that this is so funny.

_Oh, man! How can I compete with Tim Ryan? _

That voice belongs to Guy.

_I was counting on the fact that her parents would only want her to go out with a decent guy. But I suppose that Ryan is better than one of the creeps who would try and take advantage of her._

And if Bella were really my sister, Guy, I might actually let you near her. At the other table, there is a relentless stream of mockery emanating from Emmett.

_Having fun, little bro'? At least this guy isn't a total scumbag like Vince._

At least.

_I'm going to have to teach Bella how to be less approachable._

As long as you don't teach her how to be a bitch like you, Rose.

_Hmm, I hope that she doesn't go for the jock type. Maybe a student council rep would be more a appealing. Look! She's hardly talking to him._

I am. Aware that I am sitting right beside her, it looks like Bella is afraid to say a word. I notice that she is shredding her salad into smaller pieces than usual. Until now, the only boys who had shown any real interest in Bella were the younger boys. And at their age, a lot of them imagine anything more than kissing her.

Now I was faced with listening to the thoughts of the older boys and they had some very genuine lust on their hearts (or rather their groins) for her. It's not like I hadn't been listening to these kinds of thoughts, accompanied by some rather X-rated images with regard to Rosalie. But Bella was different.

Perhaps it is because she is playing at being so young or maybe because she puts forth an aura innocence, but it seems that most of the junior and senior jocks in the school are imagining "deflowering" her. Of course that isn't all of them, but the decent guys are looking at her as too young to date.

_She's a nice kid, but I'll leave her to Ryan. She's jailbait at her age for someone who is eighteen like me._

Smart move, Mr. Captain of the Hockey team!

_Look at the way the big one is watching over her. It looks like he could break any guy that looked at her the wrong way in half._

You got that right. But Bella could break him in half too.

_Ryan better be careful. Her brother Edward is starting to glower._

Am I? If I am it's because of the thoughts of the other guys about her. I really have no objection to either Tim Ryan or Guy Michaud talking to my wife, especially since I know that they won't do anything but talk.

They are both upstanding young men who for the time being, will help buffer her better than her "brothers" could against the advances of the other boys. But to cover myself, I tune into the girls.

_I could rip her hair out! I was this close to breaking down Tim's defenses. _

That's what you think, Sarah. He was just being polite.

_I wonder if she ever leaves Alice's side. Oh, well. She's such a pipsqueak that I bet I could take both of them._

You couldn't even take Alice with one hand tied behind her back, you fool! Maybe I don't want to listen to the girls after all. I focus on Maggie and Alice's conversation.

"I'm still mortified that the cake caused all go that trouble," Maggie is saying. "I was just trying to be nice."

"Is it really true that Jed and Kai were suspended? I ask her.

"Yeah," she says. "Both of their fathers have to come in this afternoon to talk to the principal. I hear that Kai's Dad is pretty upset with Bella. He thinks that she beat him up for no reason."

"He should be upset with his son," comments Alice. "He was the one who started it."

"I'm sure Kai blamed someone else," says Maggie.

"With all those witnesses?" asks Alice.

"He's been covering up for him since they got here," she explains. "And so has Jed's father. They think that because they came from this little village in the backcountry that they are total innocents being corrupted by the big city."

"That's a joke," says Tim, who hears her last sentence. "They think up pranks that no one else does."

"Like the Gorilla Glue?" asks Alice.

"You heard about that," he says. "That's nothing compared with the cell phone trick."

"What cell phone trick?" I ask. "I haven't seen a cell phone since I got here. The student handbook says they are banned."

"I forgot for a minute that you guys were homeschooled," says Tim apologetically. "Every school in the country bans cell phones. But this is the only school where it's enforced. And that's because of Jed and Kai."

"We haven't heard that story," says Alice.

"Well, there was this story a while back about this stalker type of person in Boston in the US who was taking pictures under women's skirts on the trolley and posting them on the Internet," he explains. "Someone here started doing the same thing. They were posted on an Instagram account that was set up under a phony name."

"Why were Jed and Kai suspected?" asks Alice.

"A couple of girls thought they saw Jed with a cell phone," he answers. "And from what I heard, it was mostly eighth grade girls who were the victims."

"It was," says Maggie, who then blushes bright red when Tim looks at her.

"I'm sorry," he says. "It's terribly rude of me since I've been sitting here all this time, but I'm Tim Ryan. I should have introduced myself earlier."

"No, it's my fault," I say. "I should have introduced you. Tim, this is Maggie Stone, Bella's friend."

"Hi, Maggie," he replies. "I heard that you feel bad about what happened yesterday. I want to assure you that no one holds you responsible."

"They-they don't?" she stutters.

"Of course not," he says giving her a sympathetic smile. _Poor kid. One of the girls saw her crying in the bathroom sixth hour. She would have said something but Rosalie Hale was already there. She looks like a sweet girl. It makes sense that she's friends with Bella. They are both so shy._

"So what happened to Jed and Kai?" I prompt him, even though I know by now.

"Nothing happened to them," he replies. "It was only a rumor among the students. But when the administration found out about the pictures on Instagram, they cracked down. Mr. Griffin and the assistant principals spent the next couple of weeks patrolling the hallways collecting cell phones in baskets. They collected over a hundred the first day alone. If they took one, the kid's parents had to come and pick it up."

"And that was effective?" asks Alice innocently.

"Around here," answer Ryan. "Everyone's parents work. None of them liked having to use their lunch hours to get the their kids' phones. It was easier to leave your phone at home. Some of the kids turn them off and hide them in their backpacks so that they have them after school. But you will never see one on school property."

"I can see now why Jed and Kai are so unpopular," I comment.

"As I was telling Bella before," he says. "I hope that you don't judge all the kids here against Jed and Kai, or for that matter Vince. Edward, it would be good if you kept your sisters away from him and his friends. They have no respect for the girls at all."

_And the only girls that are attracted to them, are the girls who are looking for a good time, by their definition of the phrase "good time." Every once in a while someone needs to stand up to them. They're really just a bunch of paper tigers anyway._

I am really liking this guy, and I was amused listening to Tim talk down that leering piece of crap Vince on the lunch line. Tim was embarrassed by his teammate's crude remarks, even if they were about the two little twerps. He was just talking tough to impress Bella anyway.

But the take down by Alice was classic. Vince's teammates are already ready trying to think up more insults to hurl at him at practice today. Apparently, Vince has quite an ego and this is a golden opportunity to knock him down a few pegs. Tim turns his attention back to Bella, who is still hiding behind her hair.

Alice continues to glare thoughts at me for letting Bella sit next to Tim, but it's really not a big deal. He is trying to be kind and gentle with her, doing his best to make conversation and only getting monosyllabic answers from her. While they are sitting there, however, he decides not to ask her to the dance today. He is afraid that she will think that he is trying to take advantage of her weakness.

In the meantime, there is disappointment still resounding through the minds of all the freshman boys who had hoped to get a shot at asking her after she put off Guy. Tim has, whether he realized it or not, staked out a prior claim, not only by having lunch with her, but also because he is a _junior_. But if Bella is looking at him with polite interest, despite her attempt to keep up conversation with Alice, Maggie is really thinking about Tim.

Like so many of the girls in the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, when Julia wrote him that "Dear John" email during the summer, she secretly hoped that he would notice her. But naturally, she is so retiring by nature that he hasn't. However he hasn't been paying attention to any of the girls. In fact the only reason that he noticed Bella was because of yesterday's incident.

I can only think that it's a pity that he didn't notice Maggie, who was the real damsel in distress yesterday. There she was all alone, and without a cohort of family members to protect her. Right now, Tim can only see Bella, but I wonder if I might not play matchmaker for him and Maggie the way that I did for Angela and Ben back in Forks.

I see Alice sigh in relief when she sees Tim and Bella parting ways at the cafeteria door at the end of lunch. Then, too late, through her mind I see Pauline sitting down in the empty seat next to me. Something tells me that is why she picked the seat next to Tim.

"Hi, Edward!" she says as she pulls out the chair. "Did you understand the biology homework last night?"

"Uh, yeah, Pauline," I say awkwardly. "No problems."

She pouts.

"I thought it was tough," she says, even though I can read in her mind that she breezed through it.

Alice decides to help me out.

"Hi, Pauline!" she says sweetly. "How are you doing?"

"Um, pretty well," she says. "And yourself?"

"Quite well," she says. "Were you talking about the biology homework? If you need some help, I'm pretty good in biology."

"Yes, she is," says Maggie in an attempt to be nice to Alice. "She takes the best notes too. She shared them with me when I missed class yesterday."

"I could help you if you like," offers Alice.

"No, um, I worked really hard on it last night," she says. _How come the Cullens are so nice to little Maggie Stone, but they don't give me the time of day? I mean, she's got potential, but she's such a little mouse. And since when does Tim Ryan hang out with freshmen? Shouldn't he be sitting with the older Cullens? They may be sophomores, but they sure look older._

"You know, Edward," says Tim to me. "Bella told me that she's never been to a football game before. We have a home game on Saturday. Maybe you and Alice could bring her."

"I don't know," I say. "Do you want to go to the game, Bella?"

Alice catches my eye and I see the three of us there with Maggie. But Bella shakes her head no and the image goes away.

"You're going to the homecoming game of course," he says.

"Everybody goes to the homecoming game," puts in Pauline.

"What do you think, Edward? Maybe you can persuade her," says Tim. _Who is that annoying girl? I really don't like pushy girls. I'm trying to encourage Bella to come out of her shell a little and this girl butts in. _

"It's really Bella's choice," I say diplomatically. "But we still have time before we have time before we have to decide."

"Of course," he says, backing off right away. _Maybe if she has time to think about it, she will warm up to the idea. And Alice seems eager to get her out and doing things. If I back off now, I bet her sister can convince her. _

The bell rings.

"Here," says Tim. "Let me take your tray, Bella. Goodness! You've hardly eaten a thing."

_Edward! May-day! May-day! You don't want him to say the next thing. _

"Bella, is your stomach still bothering you?" I ask solicitously.

Bella nods.

"She had a bit of an upset stomach last night," I explain. "You know, the stress of the day."

"Goodbye, I'll see you tomorrow," says Tim. _She is lucky to have such a nice foster brother. He's so kind and gentle with her. Pauline may be pushy, but she's a very good-looking girl. It's interesting that Edward was so concerned with his sister that he didn't even notice her. It's like he only has eyes for Bella._

_And Alice is a sweet girl too. Just look at the way that she was taking care of little Maggie! Poor kid. Who would have thought that a nice, simple gesture liking baking a cake could turn into such a disaster? Look at them walking away. Alice has her arm around Bella's shoulders. I hope that I didn't scare the poor girl. I didn't think that I was coming on that strong._

The more I listen to his thoughts, the more I like Tim. If he wasn't interested in wife, I might consider being more cordial to him. But I don't like the way that he is beginning to think that I am a little too interested in what is going on with my foster sister.

And Alice didn't have to warn me about what Tim was going to say to Bella after his comment about how she hadn't eaten anything. He was going to ask something that was designed to see if she might be anorexic. Rosalie was at least somewhat voluptuous when she wad turned, but Alice and Bella were pretty slim. I can see that I'm going to have to watch out for both of them.

Pauline is at my elbow as we walk to biology. Her brain is already thinking on the homecoming dance. She is trying to calculate the odds that I might ask her, if Tim or one of the other guys asks Bella. As if I would. I think that I am going to have to talk to the others about a camping trip for that weekend.


	47. The Trouble with Women

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

**Chapter 46: The Trouble with Women**

I do and I don't want to have this conversation with Renesmee this afternoon. I mean, I have always liked it whenever she has called me "my Jacob," but I never gave any thought as to how we would explain why she felt that way. I knew that something was up when Carlisle and Esme were waiting for me when I got home from school last night.

"Hi!" I said. "Has Bella recovered from her tough day at school today?"

"Yes, she has," replied Carlisle. "But we're not here to talk about Bella. We need to talk about Renesmee."

"Is she okay?" I asked, feeling my blood pressure rise. "Is she sick?"

"No," replied Carlisle. "She's not sick. She's, well . . . I guess the best way to put it is that she is confused."

"Yes," agreed Esme. "She's confused."

"Is this about the little hissy fit that she threw earlier when she left here?" I asked.

"Yes," said Esme. "And about the even bigger hissy fit that she threw when she got to the house."

"I think that a hissy fit, large or small, does not come anywhere near describing it," said Carlisle. "It was a full blown temper tantrum."

"A tantrum?" I asked. "Isn't she a little old for that?"

"And by what measure are you calculating her age?" asked Esme drily. "If she's seven, she's to old. If she's twelve, it's arriving right on time."

"I don't get it," I said throwing up my hands.

"You have two sisters," said Esme. "Don't you remember them at that age?"

"Oh, man!" I said. "They were crazy! And twins! If it wasn't Rebecca going nuts it was Rachel and . . . Oh, I get your point."

"Good, then no further explanations are needed on that topic," says Carlisle.

"So what does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"It was _about _you," said Carlisle.

"Me?" I asked in surprise. "What did I do?"

"Jacob, I think that you need to sit down for this one," said Carlisle.

"That bad?" I asked. "What? Does she hate me now?"

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other.

"Hate is a very strong word . . . " began Esme.

"Look you two," I said. "Can you just get to the point? I have to be at work early tomorrow morning because I'm coming home early to spend time with Renesmee before I have to go back to school."

"Here's the thing," said Carlisle. "Renesmee thinks that you treat her like a little kid."

"I do," I said. "Because she is one. What's wrong with that?"

"Well, nothing really," said Esme. "It's just that Renesmee is growing up and she beginning to develop some feelings for you that she doesn't understand."

"Huh?"

"She's jealous of your relationships with Aurora and Bella," answered Esme. "Does that get to the point quickly enough?"

"What?" I say, thinking that it sure as hell does.

"Do you want me to repeat myself?" she asked.

"No, I heard you loud and clear the first time," I replied. "That's crazy."

"Okay, Jacob," says Carlisle. "I know that you're tired and had a long day, but back this up for a minute. Remember what you just said about Rachel and Rebecca?"

"That they were . . . Oh!" I said. "I get it. She's crazy. But what can I do about it?"

"Okay," answered Carlisle patiently. "Let's take the word crazy out of the conversation and replace it with irrational. It's really not fair to call any young girl of that age crazy, because for her age, she is behaving normally. Essentially, Renesmee is at an age where she is trying to figure out which end is up."

"To put it another way," added Esme. "One minute she feels like a little girl and the next like a . . . I don't want to say woman, but somewhere in between girl and woman."

"So what is it?" I asked. "Why is she jealous of Aurora?"

"She knows that Aurora is around your age," said Esme. "Now she was already a little put off by the fact that you weren't waiting on her when she got home. She was unhappy to hear that you were with Aurora when she thought that you should be with her, or rather waiting for her.

"Now on a purely theoretical level she agrees that you shouldn't have to spend all of your time sitting around waiting for her. But she would have been happier if you had been hanging it with guy friends."

"But I told her that Aurora was just a friend," I said.

"And Bella told Edward several thousand times that you were just a friend," she said. "And the green-eyed monster still got to him pretty badly. Or have you forgotten that so quickly?"

"Like father like daughter?" I ask hopefully.

"Not exactly, she was set off again when she came home and you were talking with Bella," she explained. "That was when she got upset that you were treating Bella like an adult and her like a little girl. And she thought that you were treating her like a little girl on Saturday night too."

"But Bella is one of my best friends," I said puzzled. "And we are both adults. Not to mention the fact that she is blissfully married to Edward, who was sitting right there by the way."

"And you have always told Renesmee that _she _was your best friend," replied Carlisle.

"I had a long talk with her earlier," said Esme. "And she said that she thought that she might have a crush on you. But it made her feel weird."

"And what did you tell her?" I asked.

"I said that it was conversation that she needed to have with her parents and you," replied Esme.

"Isn't that a cop out?" I asked.

"No," replied Esme. "It's one of those things that sooner or later you were going to have to explain to her in greater detail anyway. So it looks like the discussion will be sooner rather than later."

"Isn't it a mother-daughter thing to have this talk?" I asked hopefully.

"Normally, I would say yes," answered Carlisle. "But with Renesmee it's more complicated. Remember. You were the one who imprinted on her. Now she had a hint of what that meant before we left Forks."

"And it scared her, I know," I said. "And I promised to back off. And I have. And tell to the truth, I don't even know what I was thinking. I must have been crazy."

"Agreed," said Carlisle. "But as Renesmme goes through puberty, which may be starting now, as I understand the way that the imprint works, both of you will be developing new feelings for one another."

"Look, if you're afraid that I would do anything . . . inappropriate," I said. "You know I never would."

"We know that," Esme assured me. "And so do Bella and Edward, especially Edward with his mind reading abilities. But Renesmee needs to know why she feels so close to you and why she's looking at you differently now. We know that this isn't a crush and underneath it all, I think that she does to. But I think that she needs to understand the whole soul mate aspect of the imprint so she isn't afraid of it."

"What if she thinks it's creepy?" I asked them.

"If you explain it to her right," said Carlisle. "She won't. Now because she's not a Quileute and brought up in your tribal traditions, there is no telling how she will feel about it. But you won't be alone. Edward and Bella will be there."

"Edward isn't going to, like, beat me up or anything, is he?" I said.

"If Edward was going to do you any violence," answered Carlisle. "He would have done it years ago. He has only one wish. He wants his daughter to be happy. He doesn't want to put you through the same kind of hell that Charlie put him through when he and Bella fell in love."

"Well, that's good," I said, relieved.

"But there's one more thing," said Esme.

"I was afraid of that," I groaned.

"It's time for her to hear the complete history of your relationship with Bella and Edward," she said. "She will need to know that in order to understand how the imprinting took place and why you were present in the house at the. Time if her birth."

"I told her that it was to protect her from Sam's pack," I reply.

"That's only half true," replies Carlisle. "You didn't need to be in the house to do that."

"Oh," I replied. "But Bella has to be there too, right? When we talk to Renesmee?"

"And she is just as reluctant as you are," said Carlisle. "Now we will let you go. Have a good night's sleep."

At the time I wondered if he was trying to be funny. He laid this bombshell on me right before I go to bed and I was supposed to get a good night's sleep? I could hardly close my eyes. And then at work today, I could hardly keep them open. And to think that a couple of days ago I was worried that Renesmee didn't want me around anymore.

After a long morning at the shop, I decide to stop in at the diner for lunch. All I am interested in is one of their double hot hamburger and fries plates. But naturally I am also going to get the third degree from Mary and Old Joe.

"The usual?" asks Mary as I sit down at the counter.

"You got it, Mare," I say. "Please."

"Don't it make you feel at home to have someone ask if you want the usual when you sit down in a place?" asks Joe.

"Don't you have a home?" I ask him amiably.

"This is my home half the time," he says. "Since the cancer took my wife five years ago, it's hard to be around the old place."

"You should sell that big old spread and get yourself a smaller place here in town," says Mary, as she pours me my coffee. "I've told you that a million times."

"Yep," he says ruefully. "It's a second home I got here, complete with the nagging."

Mary shakes her head and sashays down to the other end of the counter where it looks like a couple of travelers have just sat down.

"Big deal up at the high school yesterday with one of your Cullen friends, I hear," he opens up.

"Actually it was Bella Swan," I say. "She's not exactly a Cullen."

"Same difference if you ask me," he shrugs. "All those kids call each other brothers and sisters. It's just easier that way. Heard that little girl tossed Kai across the cafeteria or something and broke his arm."

"Did you hear why?" I ask.

"Something about a food fight, right?" he asks.

"Yeah, well, if those two little idiots ever show up in here and start some nonsense like that, I'll throw them farther than across the room," says Mary. "What the hell were they thinking?"

"I believe that it was another attempt to get Bella's attention," I say carefully.

"Well, that crap caught the attention of just about every man, woman, and child in Whitehorse, didn't it Mary?" says Joe. "And not in a good way."

"You can say that again," she replies. "Jacob, can you believe that Kai's father had the nerve to bring him in here for dinner after the stunt that kid pulled?"

"Um, I don't know," I say. "I guess they had to eat somewhere."

"Well, the way that big idiot was trash-talking the Cullens, it just about made my blood boil," she says. "I gave him a piece of my mind."

"I bet you did," I say.

"Yes, she did," says Joe. "And there were plenty in here who backed her up once she got started."

"What was he saying about the Cullens?" I ask so I can report to Carlisle later.

"Oh, it was a bunch of stuff about how he knew that all those foster kids were going to be a problem," she says. "And then he started going on about how it figured that Bella would be the first to have a problem since her mom was in prison. He was trying to lay odds on Emmett being next because his folks used to cook meth, but nobody bit."

"Nobody dared to say anything else about it, once Lily went after him," adds Joe. "She gave him the tongue-lashing of his life, telling him not to spread that bad gossip around. He got right back in her face saying that he was going to press charges against the girl for being a menace to the community and sue the pants off that rich Dr. Cullen."

"He's just an opportunist," comments Mary. "He's looking for a fast buck."

"Wow!" I say. "That's a little extreme, isn't it?"

"I think he's also mad because Kai and Jed are suspended from school for started the food throwing and harassing Bella," says Joe. "And Bella wasn't punished at all."

"How did that guy know about Bella's Mom anyway?" I ask Mary. "I know that the Cullens have been trying to keep that quiet, so that Bella doesn't have embarrassing questions to deal with."

"How should I know?" asks Mary. "The walls have ears over in that high school, biggest rumor mill in town."

"Well, that just stinks," I say, thinking that it's the pot calling the kettle black when it comes to gossip mills. "Bella is going to be real upset when she hears about this."

"I can't say that I blame her," says Joe. "But most Of the folks in town had heard the story, just like the one about Emmett. It's just not the kind of thing that people mention in public like that. But a little gossip and a few crazy threats are nothing compared to the amount of trouble they cause for other people."

"Old Pete, the head janitor down there was in last night and he said that the place was a mess," says Mary. "There was food and condiments on the walls and the ceiling. And the floor was coated in soda and juice.

"He said that every kid in the place must have hurled whatever they had in their hands. I heard a couple of the teachers on duty got sprayed with soda too. The eighth graders had to eat in the auditorium. It took four of them overtime hours to make the room ready for today."

"What's the harassment thing about?" I ask as if I don't know.

"Oh, they've been following her around and bothering her since the first day of school," says Joe. "All the kids say so. The kids are also sticking up for her. This whole mess has them pretty mad too."

"No, what's got those parents of theirs mad is that one of them is going to have to stay home from work and babysit them while they're on suspension," says Mary. "And my manager told them that the boys can't come in here unless they are accompanied by an adult."

"Well, that's probably a smart move on his part," I say. "So do you really think that he'll press charges?"

"I don't know," sighs Mary. "He may be looking for a pay off. He's got to go into talk to the principal later today, and Jed's dad too. This isn't the first time they've started trouble, at least according to the other kids. But this is the first time they've pulled anything in public."

"I did hear something from Rosalie about Gorilla Glue in door locks," I say.

"And that's another thing," adds Joe. "All that crap is costing the school money, money that should be going to educate the kids, not clean up after those two. But there was no proof on that one."

"Thanks for the conversation," I say. "I've got to get home and get ready for my class tonight."

"Tell little Bella that we're rooting for her," says Joe.

As I walk out the door I hear him say to Mary, "That's one good man there. He got a steady job and going to school to better himself. He'd be perfect for Aurora if she wasn't so set on going back to that village of hers."

I am not too happy to hear them discussing my business, but it's good to hear that Aurora sees me the same way that I see her, as a friend. And it's not like I haven't made some guy friends. It's just that none of them seem to understand me like Aurora does.

It is also a little unnerving to hear him call me a man, while all the Cullens are kids to everyone in town. But Emmett, who is the oldest one, was changed when he was twenty. I am three years older than that, but look older by several more years. If Renesmee's feelings for me are starting to evolve and we aren't careful, it could easily turn into a huge scandal.

When I arrive home, I see Esme driving out to pick up the kids from school. I flag her down,

"What is it Jacob?" she asks.

"I just had lunch at the diner and heard that Kai's Dad wants to press charges against Bella and sue Carlisle," I say quickly, knowing that she's in a hurry.

"We know about that," she says. "Lily told me earlier today and several people at the hospital have told Carlisle. Morris is meeting with the families this afternoon so we'll see what happens then. See you later!"

As she peals off into the dust, I have to smile. Like all the vampires, she likes to drive over a hundred miles an hour. It's just kind of weird seeing kind, gentle Esme burning rubber. I go into the house to clean up after my day at work. I figure that our meeting with Renesmee might take a while and I didn't want to show up at school looking like a grease monkey.


	48. Explanations

**A New World Full of Strangers**

_Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use._

_Author's Note: All updates will now rotate from Renesmee to Bella, Edward, and Jacob in that order. This is now primarily their story. You may have noticed that I have rewritten the summary._

**Chapter 47: Explanations**

"How was your day at school, Momma?" I ask as I get into the van. "Did anybody talk about, you know, the thing?"

"No, Renesmee, no one ever mentioned it," she says quickly.

Daddy gives her one of his "don't tell fibs" looks.

"Really," she adds reluctantly.

"What happened then?" I ask because I can't wait to hear.

"Why do you think that something happened?" asks Daddy, a little ominously.

"Because Emmett is trying not to laugh," I explain innocently. "And he always does that when something happened."

"That's very observant of you," comments Daddy, trying not to sound annoyed. "Let's just say that your Momma got a little bit of attention today because of yesterday."

"Good attention or bad attention?" I probe.

"Good attention," says Alice cheerfully. "She got a standing ovation in math class and at lunch."

"That's your idea of good attention?" asks Momma sarcastically.

"Well, it was better than the . . . other," she says limply while Momma glares at her.

"What was the other?" I ask eagerly, knowing that it has to be good or Momma wouldn't be glowering at Alice like that.

"Well, your Momma has come to the attention of some of the boys in school," says Alice slowly.

"Some?" asks Emmett. "I would say that there's a line forming to ask her to the Homecoming Dance."

I am about to say something when I see Esme glaring at _me _in the rearview mirror. Then I remember our talk last night about bratty little sisters. I think that maybe she should have a talk to Emmett about being a bratty older brother.

"She has already," mutters Daddy to me.

"Oh," I mouth to him.

Then I pat Momma on the arm.

"Sorry, Momma," I apologize. "I won't say anything about it again."

"Yeah, but I will!" says Emmett. "Ow! That hurt!"

Auntie Rose has thrown one of her wedgie shoes at him from the back of the van. It makes a clanging sound as hit his head. Now she's looking out the side window. The side of her face says that she is frowning.

"You've got a hard head in more ways than one bro'," says Jasper and we all laugh.

I slip my arm through my Momma's and rest my head on her shoulder. Even though I got my usual amount of sleep last night, I still feel tired. Throwing tantrums really wears you out.

"How was school for you today, Renesmee?" asks Auntie Rose to break the silence.

"It was good," I say. "We were talking at lunch today about _The Nutcracker._ We started practicing some of dances for the party scene yesterday. They are still looking for two people to play my parents."

"Who usually plays them?" asks Auntie Rose.

"Well, it's usually the parents of the girl who plays Clara," I say. "There aren't any lines to say, just some pantomime and ball room dancing. But Momma and Danny are too young."

There is more silence in the car.

"You didn't say anything about that, did you Renesmee?" asks Daddy in his "I'm not going to get mad at you if you tell the truth" voice.

"Well, um, I might have said something to the other girls," I reply. "I mean, I was thinking of you and Momma, but Carlisle and Esme look younger than all the other girls' parents, so it could have meant them too, I guess."

"Carlisle and Esme are beautiful ballroom dancers," comments Alice. "Did you say anything to Madame about it?"

"Um, no," I say. "I kind of said that I would ask. But yesterday, I forgot all about it with all of the, uh . . . stuff going on."

"Esme," says Auntie Rose. "There's still time to fix this. You know that the girls will be talking. Tomorrow Renesmee should tell Madame that you and Carlisle will play her parents in the show."

It is obvious that no one is breathing but me. No one but a vampire could stop breathing for so long. Then Esme speaks.

"I will discuss it with Carlisle tonight," she says as she turns onto the driveway and we sit in silence all the way up.

"Man, that was uncomfortable!" says Emmett, as we get out of the van.

But I forget all about it once we are home, because I am spending the afternoon with my Jacob. We are planning on going on a hike to the outer edges of the property. I dump my backpack on the porch and am about to run down, when Daddy stops me.

"Renesmee," he says. "Momma and I are going to come with you to Jacob's house today."

"Why?" I ask, feeling annoyed that they are interrupting some of my Jacob time.

"The four of us need to have a talk," he says as Momma comes back out of the house.

"Is this the talk that Esme said that we needed to have?" I ask nervously.

"Yes, it is, sweetie," says Momma, putting her arms around me. "But it's nothing to be scared about. It's just going to help you understand things better. Okay?"

"Okay!" I say and the three of us walk back up the driveway.

Jacob is waiting on the front porch of his house and _he _sure looks nervous. But Momma gives me a little squeeze, so I know it's going to be fine, I think.

"Hi, guys!" he says cheerfully. "I'd offer you something to drink, but I'm all out of O negative."

Momma grimaces, "You always did know how to set people at ease, Jake."

"Um, sorry," he says. "I was just trying to lighten things up. How was your day at school?"

"Jacob," says Daddy patiently. "You aren't going to lighten anything up with that question. Maybe you should just quit while you're ahead, okay?"

Daddy is giving Jacob the look that he gives Emmett when he's about to say something that is going to either start trouble or make someone feel bad. I wait for Jacob to say something about Daddy picking through his brain, but he just nods.

"Got it," he says. "Do you want to sit down?"

"That sounds like a good idea," says Daddy as we all take our seats.

I look around at the three adults and discover that none of them are looking at me or at each other. Then I realize that none of them really want to start talking. I think for a minute and decide that maybe I should be the one to start doing the talking.

"Perhaps, we should ask Esme to join us," I suggest as the other three kind of jump at my words.

"Why do we need Esme?" asks Momma.

"Well, Esme was the one who said that we needed to talk," I reply. "Maybe she can tell us what we are supposed to talk about."

"When did Esme say that we needed to talk?" asks Jacob. "I mean, what did you say to her?"

"Ask Daddy, he was listening in the whole time," I grumble.

"What did Esme tell you about sassing your parents?" asks Daddy.

"See? I can't even have a private conversation in my own bedroom," I say rolling my eyes.

"Renesmee," says Momma. "Stop trying to change the subject from you to your Daddy. If you don't tell Jacob then I will."

"Go ahead!" I say obnoxiously and then regret it the minute that I see the hurt look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Momma," I say. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'll tell Jacob. Esme and I were talking about how you were my special friend, but that I shouldn't say that to the humans because they would think that it's creepy."

"Yes, they would," he agrees.

"Then we were talking about how I was jealous of Aurora and Momma because you treated them differently from me," I continue. "Because you still treat me like a little kid."

"Yes, I do," he says. "Because you are."

"I know," I say. "Then I asked her if she thought that I had a crush on you."

"And what did she say?" he asks.

"That I needed to talk to Momma and Daddy," I reply. "She said that she knew it was a cop out, but it really was their place to talk to me and that we should have you in the conversation too, since it involves you."

"Okay," says Jacob. "Now that we have that out of the way. Where do we start?"

Once again there is silence. Momma and Jacob are kind of looking really uncomfortably at each other. Daddy is looking at Jacob and I can tell that he is reading his thoughts.

"Okay, Jacob," he says. "If we go back to the very beginning, I guess that we can say that it starts with me."

"But it really doesn't," says Momma. "It starts with me."

"No, it's really all about me," says Jacob.

"First none of you want to talk," I say getting frustrated. "Now all of you want to talk! Maybe we need Esme to come and be a referee, like in the baseball games."

"Okay, Edward," says Jacob. "You should start. And you should let him, Bells. The whole thing really started when he decided to leave you for your own good."

"I know that story," I say. "While Momma was human, Jasper tried to kill her. So Daddy made everyone move away from Forks and then he went off to Brazil to sulk . . . "

"Who told you I was sulking?" asks Daddy.

"Auntie Rose," I say. "But then Alice saw Momma jump off a cliff, but she didn't see my Jacob save her because she can't see werewolves. Auntie Rose called Daddy to tell him that Momma was dead and then Daddy went mental and decided to go to the Volturi . . . "

"Who told you I went mental?" asks Daddy.

"Emmett," I reply. "Then Momma and Alice went to save him and they did, but that's how they found out that Momma knew about vampires and they were going to kill her. But Alice promised to turn her into a vampire. The whole family voted, but Daddy was an idiot and . . . "

"Who said I was an idiot?" asks Daddy with a sigh.

"Jasper," I answer. "He said that if you had just turned her like she wanted over the summer, then the whole thing wouldn't have happened on the first place."

Daddy is starting to look mad.

"And then you wouldn't exist," he points out. "I refused to change Momma until after she married me."

"But I set my own condition," said Momma. "I wanted to be a real wife to you before you changed me."

"Renesmee!" says Daddy, reading my mind.

"Come on, Daddy!" I say. "You helped me learn biology. You and Momma had sex down on Isle Esme and that's how she got pregnant with me while she was still human. But I still don't see what this has to do with me having a crush on Jacob."

"Neither do I," says Jacob.

"Don't say it, dog!" warns Daddy.

"Say what?" I ask.

"She needs to know anyway," says Momma. "You might as well let him tell that part of the story."

"While your Daddy was off in South America going mental," says Jacob, looking at Daddy. "Your Momma was, well, she was grieving for him back in Forks. She really missed him. In fact, she was very depressed for about four months."

"So she was going mental too!" I say.

"Renesmee!" exclaims Daddy, looking at Momma in concern.

"No, she's right," says Momma. "Daddy and I both missed each other so much that we were both in pretty bad shape for a while. But I started to recover a little bit when Jacob and I became friends again. Jacob really did help me get through that bad time."

"And I'm still grateful for it," says Daddy grudgingly.

"I know," says Jacob. "And I made things hard for your Momma when she brought your Daddy home to Forks from Italy because I had fallen in love with your Momma. Now she was always pretty clear with me that it was your Daddy that she loved more, but I refused to accept it."

"Because you were an idiot," I say.

"Who . . . "

"Auntie Rose," I say. "But she always says that about you. I'm just extrapolating."

"Huh?" asks Jacob.

"Just tell the story," says Momma. "I'll explain it to _you _later."

"Well," Jacob says. "When your Momma finally said yes to your Daddy's marriage proposal, I kind of went mental too. I turned into a wolf and ran away for a couple of months. But I came back for the wedding."

"And would have trashed it if it hadn't been for Sam," adds Daddy.

"We don't need to tell her that story," says Jacob.

"Don't worry," I say. "Emmett already has."

"Of course, he has," mutters Jacob. "When your Momma came back pregnant, you know that Sam wanted to kill her and you."

"And you protected us," I say.

"Yes, I did," he says. "And I really did still love your Momma. The whole time I was near her, it really hurt. Especially since I could see how much she really and truly loved your Daddy. And, well, I was wishing that it was my baby that she was carrying."

"Why did you stay near her if it hurt so much?" I ask.

"I didn't know at the time," he says. "But the bigger she got the harder it was for me to stay away. That was why I was there the night that you were born, I mean, inside the house. I really didn't have to be there to guard her. I could very easily have stayed out in the woods with Seth and Leah."

"So that was why you were in the house when I was born," I say slowly. "It was really for Momma. You were still in love with Momma."

"Yes," he admits. "And that is why I was there when you were born. And I know that I told you that I had protected you because I always knew that you were good, but that wasn't really true."

"It wasn't?" I ask as I swallow hard.

"No, because it was your Momma that I loved, I hated you because I thought that you were killing her," he says. "And I hated your father even more, because I thought that he was killing her. She wouldn't give you up and Carlisle was afraid that you would kill her before you could be born."

"You did a lot of hating," I say, moving over to my Momma to sit on her lap.

"In fairness," says Daddy. "I wasn't too fond of you either until I heard your thoughts. I had always thought that I was a monster. And I agreed with Jacob that I was killing her because I got her pregnant with you. I'm afraid that I thought that you were a monster too because you were killing her.

"But the minute that I heard your mind, I knew that you were good like her. And I knew that you loved her and didn't want to hurt her. Then I was determined to save you both. I didn't want to lose either of you. I'm sorry if I have disappointed you. But this is the truth."

"I understand," I say. "I don't think that I could ever like anyone who wanted to hurt my Momma either."

"Since your Daddy has been so open," says Jacob. "I will admit that after you were born and your mother died and it looked like you Daddy might not even be able to turn her into a vampire to save her, I really hated you. I hated you so much that I wanted to kill you."

"But you didn't," I whisper.

"No, but I was going to," he says. "I looked into your eyes and that was when I imprinted. And I have loved you ever since, but only as a protector and someone who only wanted you to be happy. It was very hard for me to leave the tribe behind and I'm still not sure that I can do it. But I couldn't let you leave without me."

"So then you really are still my Jacob?" I ask.

"I'm sorry that you ever doubted me," he says. "And I'm also sorry that I disobeyed your parents and told you about imprinting when I did, and that I let Emily talk to you about it. You were too young to really understand."

"Emily told me that all the wolf girls always marry their wolves," I say. "She said that you were my man."

"What Emily said was true," he says. "But you're not really a wolf girl the way that she and Rachel and Kim are. You're not a Quileute. You haven't been brought up to expect that you are going to spend your life living on the reservation. And you can't anyway. The Council of Elders doesn't want you there."

"Don't they like me?" I ask.

"It isn't a matter of like or dislike," he says. "You aren't a Quileute. When Quileutes marry whites they always live in the white world."

I notice that a look is passing between Daddy and Jacob. Jacob slightly shakes his head as if he's saying no. And Daddy slightly nods as if he is saying yes. Momma just holds me tighter.

"But what does this have to do with my crush, if I have one?" I ask.

"Let's just say that things are different for you than they were for Emily and the other girls," says Momma. "Except for Claire, they were all at an age where they were ready to be married. When their wolves imprinted, they were ready to respond to all of that love and devotion as women, so to speak. And that's why they all got married. But you were too young to get married, obviously."

"So for the past seven years, I've been doing my best to make you happy," says Jacob. "Although I haven't been doing such a great job recently. You aren't the only one who was confused and a little jealous. You see, I had come all this way to be with you, but suddenly you were doing a lot of other things that didn't, that couldn't include me."

"Oh," I say. "Is that why you seemed pissed off sometimes?"

"Renesmee," says Daddy in his warning voice.

"Yeah," he says smiling at Daddy. "I guess that's it. But I also could see that going to school and having girlfriends your own age and going to dance school, made you really happy. So I thought that I would back off a little and let you enjoy them. You see, when I say that I want you to be happy in life, I really mean it."

"But are you happy?" I ask.

"Yes, I actually am," he says. "It feels good to have a job and I like going to school. And I have to admit that if I had stayed on the Rez, that never would have happened. So just like leaving Forks has opened up a whole new world for you, leaving La Push has opened up a whole new world for me."

"Now I'm getting confused again," I say.

"Why is that?" asks Momma kissing my head.

"Well, when we were back home in Forks, it was like I was the most important person in the world to you," I admit. "But now I'm not. I can understand now why you and Momma are such good friends. And I know why I shouldn't be jealous of her at all, except that you treat her different from me. But how do I know that you won't like, imprint on Aurora?"

"It doesn't work that way," he says. "A wolf can only imprint on one girl."

"Ever?" I ask.

"Ever," he says. "And you don't have to worry about my friendship with Aurora anyway. She isn't looking for a husband. She wants to finish school so that she can go back to her village and take care if the people there. I don't think that she will marry anyone who doesn't want to live there."

"But nobody has answered my question about the crush yet," I complain.

"The crush is because you are getting older and before girls fall in love, they get crushes," explains Momma. "Only you are going to have to be very careful about letting anyone outside the family know how you feel about Jacob."

"Or it will look creepy," I say.

"These people cannot understand," she says. "Remember that humans know about vampires and werewolves, but they don't think that they really exist. There is no way to explain any of it without sounding crazy."

"So what should I say about Jacob?" I ask.

"Does anyone ever ask you about Jacob?" she asks.

"No," I say. "They just think that he's you guys' friend."

"Then don't say anything," she says. "You know, the last time you tried to explain something it got you in a little trouble."

"What did she try to explain?" asks Jacob.

"In _The Nutcracker _production in town," says Daddy. "Clara's parents are usually played by the parents of the girl cast in the part. She told her friends in school that her parents were too young."

"I was thinking of Momma and Daddy," I explain. "Not Carlisle and Esme. Alice suggested that _they _do it, but Esme didn't look to eager."

"Esme doesn't want any part of it," chuckles Daddy. "And I don't have to read Carlisle's thoughts to know that he won't want to do it either. But I do know at least one person who wants to do it."

"You do?" I ask.

"When Celine's mother heard that you were cast as Clara, she was very disappointed," he explains. "But it wasn't just because Celine wasn't picked. It was because she was looking forward to being Clara's mother."

"What did Celine's father think of it?" asks Momma. "If you know."

"Actually, I do know," he says with a smile. "Celine and her mother were both thinking about how relieved her Papa was going to be."

"Oh, but how does that help me?" I ask.

"Tomorrow when Celine's mother comes to pick you up after dance class," he says. "You can ask her if you may borrow her and Mr. Bouchard as your parents for the show. You can say that Carlisle's work schedule won't give him the time to do it. It won't be a fib because I am sure that Carlisle will make sure that his schedule doesn't allow him to do it."

I giggle.

"So," says Momma. "Is everything cleared up? Nobody is jealous anymore?"

"No, I'm good," says Jacob.

"Me too," I say. "I won't tell anyone that I have a crush on Jacob. I'll tell them that I have a crush on someone like, say . . . Justin Bieber."

"Aargh!" says Daddy. "No!"

"But he's Canadian," I say.

"He's an idiot!" says Daddy vehemently.

We all laugh. I'm glad to see that we all understand each other now. And I don't have to talk to Daddy about why he feels jealous of Momma and Jacob. It kind of makes sense. Daddy catches my eye and looks at me and nods.

_Author's Note: Renesmee's knowledge of the imprint is discussed in great detail in my other story, "A World Full of Strangers: Prelude." I just felt that if I were going to explore her changing feelings towards Jacob in this story, I needed to circle back and do more explaining. _


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